Peregrinus Dissectus
2025 | 30" x 30" | Watercolor and Gouache
Before beginning my Master's, I worked in a lab that collected tissue samples from bird and bat carcasses, fatalities coming predominantly from wind and solar energy facilities. I helped sample hundreds of the thousands of carcasses that we were sent. While all were tragic and in varying condition, this specific one impacted me very deeply.
Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) were a species that were relatively uncommon to see in the lab. I can remember removing this bird from the bag and laying it out on the lab table, and it looked just like this. It's face looked so serene, and it was just replacing some of its juvenile feathers with those gorgeous blue-grey feathers on its body and wings. This specific bird was a fatality from a wind turbine collision, but I had never seen one that looked quite like this. It had been very cleanly severed into multiple pieces. While the actual rotations per minute of a turbine blade might seem low, the tips of the blades can reach speeds of up to 180 mph. So while it might seem like the fastest animal on the planet should be able to avoid a turbine, this is not the case.
I've had people ask if I had become desensitized to the work I was doing, and in some ways, yes and no. The brutality I witnessed became easier to tolerate, but I have never lost my compassion and reverence for the animals I work with, alive or deceased. As a biologist, I think that one of our strongest qualities is compassion, and it is something that empowers me to continue with my work every day. In part due to this specific bird, I am now two years into my Masters of Raptor Biology studying the impact that wind turbines has on birds, with the goal to help make renewable energy more sustainable and safer for our wildlife.
El Largo Viaje
2024 | 15" x 30" | Watercolor and Gouache
This piece was created for BSU's Art-Science Integration course with an overarching theme of Air.
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Wind energy developments have rapidly increased on a global scale to combat some of the effects of climate change. Utilizing the natural movement of air, turbine blades are spun by the
wind to generate energy. The same landscape features that are desirable to wind energy developers are often also features that promote avian migration. Millions of birds use the same
winds and airspace as these turbine developments during their migratory journeys, risking colliding with the fast-spinning turbine blades.
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This work is a reflection of the absolutely breathtaking experience of watching thousands of birds of many different species make their migratory journey through the Strait of Gibraltar. Depicted are over 200 birds of 14 species. Species groups up into the tens of thousands, the most abundant being Eurasian Griffons and Black Kites, roam the Andalusian hills waiting for the perfect conditions to cross the 8.6 miles over the strait from Spain into Morocco. This long journey happens twice a year for some species and is a natural cycle completed by millions of birds across Europe and Africa. I had the amazing opportunity to spend a summer studying this movement in Tarifa, Andalucía, Spain, and have since begun my Master’s degree in Raptor Biology studying this system. The strait is regarded as one of the most important migratory bottlenecks in Europe, and despite this, the coastline of southern Spain is covered in wind-energy developments. The switch to renewable energy is happening across the globe to combat the negative impact of climate change, but that doesn’t mean it is without risk. Volant wildlife, such as birds and bats, are at a high risk of collision with wind turbines and of habitat displacement.
Oliver
2018 | 8" x 8" | Colored Pencil
Oliver is a Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (Ketupa lactea, Spanish: Búho lechoso) and educational ambassador bird at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, ID. Created while I was volunteering there as part of their Raptor High Program.
Peregrine Falcon
2018 | 20" x 12" | Colored Pencil
This piece was created for fun and is one of my earliest bird illustrations. Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus, Spanish: Halcón peregrino) are a common species across multiple continents.
