Medium: Acrylic on matboard, 5X7 inches.
This year the raptor center where I volunteer sadly lost one of their oldest birds to old age. Kisra, the American Kestrel, was found in her nest box one
morning, as if in peaceful sleep. She was very old (at least 14 years old), and during her life with Horizon Wings she taught countless children and adults
about how to help conserve kestrel habitat and prevent birds from hitting windows and becoming injured, which is the injury which caused Kisra to lose part
of her wing back in 2000 when she was found.
She also was the first bird for many of the volunteers to handle while learning to work with the birds. She was calm, patient and forgiving of mistakes.
Earlier this year, the decision was made to retire her from programs and remove her anklets, so she could live the rest of her life in peace.
She will certainly be missed, and I've never met any kestrel quite like her. May she fly free wherever the wind has taken her.
A note about her coloration - in her old age, her plumage began to grow grayer and duller, and as a result she began to look more male in her face. In
case anyone is confused about the lack of a red patch on her head and the bluish-gray of her head, this is simply the way her plumage was.
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