The peregrine falcon, also called duck hawk, is a predator that is mostly a winter visitor to this area. I’ve never managed to photograph one (other hawks, like the red-shouldered, are much easier to find – for me, at least), so I used a reference photograph I found online. I usually paint songbirds, but for a change I painted this intimidating, but dignified, hunter of birds. The original is a 5.5″x8″ watercolor and is one of my personal favorites.