Prairie Falcon
Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus) exist far west of the Mississippi River and never directly crossed paths with JJ Audubon. While he had a variety of trapper supply speicmens (mainly from Alaska and California) it seemed that this small falcon did not make it into his series of naturalist bird art.
These smallish brown falcons are common throughout the western US. Often mis-identified as a Peregrine Falcon, they have similar shape and markings but primarily reside in fields and prairies where they hunt birds and rodents.
My goal in this pieces was displaying the aerodynamic nature of this hunter. They are built for speed with their pointed wings and narrow tail. This bird chases a Northern Bobwhite in the open prairies of Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming. They twist and turn in an acrobatic contrast with the streamlined hunter and the bulky ground bird.
Sized to match Harvell edition prints from the double elephant folio edition as estimated by other prints.
Edition of 120 signed and numbered prints, part of the “Resurrecting Audubon’s ‘Birds of America”. Specimen provided by Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Photograph by Lindsey Wohlman
Print – 26″ x 20″
Completed 2015, Print #33 from the series “Resurrecting Audubon’s Birds of America”
Edition of 120 signed archival prints
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