Plus free, downloadable high resolution Audubon prints. 435 of them!
This is a view I’ve always loved of both male and female American Kestrels but especially of the male. We can’t see his face or either eye but I’ll pay that price for this look at those spectacular plumage colors and patterns with wings and tail fully spread and even the alulae flared out.
This guy was swooping down on a grasshopper when I took the photo.
But in many ways my version pales in comparison to John James Audubon’s wonderful painting of kestrels from almost 200 years ago from his famous and wildly popular Birds of America series.
The National Audubon Society has generously provided a link that allows anyone free downloads of 435 Audubon prints from that series and they’re very high resolution. For example, my kestrel photo above is 900 x 643 pixels but the downloadable version of Audubon’s kestrels is 7705 x 6401 pixels. There’s incredible resolution and detail in those downloads. And of course Audubon’s paintings are… delicious.
I’ll provide the link to the downloadable prints at the conclusion of this post.
One of the most spectacular raptors in the world is the white Gyrfalcon. This one was a falconry bird that had escaped from its “owner” several years ago here in Salt Lake City so of course I had to try to get some photos, even in the poor light.
At the time it was estimated that this bird was worth about $10,000 on the falconry market. Very soon after I took this photo my friend Mike Shaw from HawkWatch International trapped the falcon and returned it to its owner. It had falconry gear still attached to its legs (I’m told they aren’t really jesses) and that would have been an eventual death trap in the wild.
Here’s Audubon’s version of white Gyrfalcons, also available for download. At the time Audubon did the painting white Gyrfalcons were called Iceland Falcons or Jer Falcons.
Each download includes Audubon’s original notes on the species. I believe this resource is an artistic, historical and scientific treasure so I hope some of my readers take advantage of such a special opportunity.
It took Audubon over 14 years of doing field observations and drawings plus significantly more time invested in single-handed management and promotion to complete his Birds of America project. The complicated process of printing from the high quality plates cost him over $2,000,000 in today’s money but his drawings/paintings of over 700 North American bird species had such tremendous appeal his work became a huge success. In contrast to his contemporaries who painted birds in stiff, unnatural positions Audubon drew them in natural positions in their natural habitat, often as if they were in motion while feeding or hunting. All were drawn life size and his original prints were roughly three feet tall.
Audubon’s influence on ornithology and natural history was far-reaching. Charles Darwin even quoted him three times in his Origin of Species. During his field research he discovered 25 new species and 12 new subspecies. Audubon’s Birds of America is still considered one the finest examples of book art, ever! On December 6, 2010 a copy of Birds of America was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $11.5 million, the second highest price for a single printed book.
Audubon’s legacy includes the following and much more (from Wikipedia):
- He was elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Linnaean Society, and the Royal Society in recognition of his contributions.
- The homestead Mill Grove in Audubon, Pennsylvania, is open to the public and contains a museum presenting all his major works, including The Birds of America.
- The Audubon Museum at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, Kentucky, houses many of Audubon’s original watercolors, oils, engravings and personal memorabilia.
- In 1905, the National Audubon Society was incorporated and named in his honor. Its mission “is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds …”
- He was honored in 1940 by the US Post Office with a 1 cent Famous Americans Series postage stamp; the stamp is green.
- He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 22¢ Great Americans series postage stamp.
- On April 26, 2011, Google celebrated his 226th birthday by displaying a special Google Doodle on its global homepage.
I’ll end with a sad, embarrassing and personal story related to Audubon. In 1972 (give or take a year) I was a wet behind the ears 25 year old biology teacher at South High School here in Salt Lake City who was desperate for audiovisual materials to enhance my teaching. The school library had an annual sale each spring of older library books that they no longer needed and they sold them at bargain basement prices. That year at the sale I bought a very old copy of a book that included all (or most) of Audubon’s Birds of America paintings. It was a high quality book, coffee table book size or even larger, with thick linen paper and it was still in good condition. The color plates it contained were simply stunning and there were hundreds of them. I believe I paid a dollar or two for it.
But in classroom use I discovered the book was heavy, cumbersome and not exactly what I wanted so I cut many of the pages out to use individually. I even cut some of the pages that included paintings of multiple species in half. Eventually what was left of the book fell apart and almost 50 years later I have no idea what became of the pages I cut out.
I could almost slit my throat for doing that. Who knows what that book might be worth today. Obviously it wasn’t an original copy of Birds of America but it was old and I still think it may have had significant monetary value. But to be honest my greatest wish is that I had it in my collection of natural history books today. Oh the folly of the young and dumb!
I hope some of my readers will take advantage of the opportunity to see and even use some of Audubon’s high resolution prints. They are simply stunning.
Here’s the link for downloads from the National Audubon Society.
Ron
Happy to know the falcon was saved I first thought it had a snake. Then closer look told me that it was rope and I thought it would surely get tangled and die.
Thanks for the link. Someone many years ago gave me a collection of Audubon prints, my mother framed a few of them. Not sure but I think they were destroyed in Hurricane Celia.
That shot of the Gyrfalcon may be in less than ideal light but the pose is pretty darned spectacular. The position of the wings, tail, head, legs and talons – what’s not perfect about any aspect here? The way the face is profiled so clearly with great expression of focus on the landing is awfully nice (yes, no catch light, this still works nicely anyway, for me). Even the wood has a handsome geometry that is pleasing to the eye.
Loved your photos. Magnificent creatures.
I’m obviously the (way) outlier here, but I am just not enamored of Audubon. I just can’t admire anyone who showed off their artistic skills by killing such beautiful creatures and wiring them up in unnatural contortions. A talented artist? Yes, but the practice of killing the first time you lay eyes on a species strikes me as brutal and repulsive. Who was worse, the first person to kill a Passenger Pigeon or the last? The justification comes in many forms: for science, for art, for fun, for the hell of it.
I pay my dues and support the Audubon Society’s work in spite of and not because of the name.
The way I look at it, those were different times and they did things differently almost 200 years ago. I don’t judge him negatively for it. Not at all. If we lived in those times I don’t think we’d feel the way we do now about such things. In fact I’m quite sure of it. The man was a huge admirer of birds, that much is clear.
I also believe that his work had a far, far more positive effect on birds than a negative one. I believe that each one of us living today who drives a car or heats and air conditions their house or is a user of manufactured consumer goods has a far more negative impact on birds, wildlife and the environment than Audubon did by shooting individual birds in the early 1800’s, even though he killed many of them
I have a biography of him and when I read it there were other things about him personally that I remember being far less pleased about than the fact that he killed lots of birds (though I can’t remember what they were at the moment…).
We all have our opinions, Lyle, that’s as it should be. Thanks for being honest and open about yours.
The Audubon Museum in Henderson, Kentucky is a great road trip stop. Highly recommended if you are in that area of the country. Also recommended for further insight into Audubon, the man and his life’s work is Richard Rhode’s biography: “John James Audubon; the Making of an American.”
Thanks for the tips, James. I believe Rhode’s biography is the one sitting in my living room bookshelf as I type this, and yes I have read it.
I love the kestrel photo, Ron! It should be noted that the downtown SLC library has an original copy of Audubon’s Birds of America Elephant Folio. It’s on the 4th floor in a glass case. They turn the page every month. It’s one of about 9 surviving copies.
I had no idea! Thanks for the heads up, Carel. I’ll make a point of seeing it.
I have no doubt about Audubon’s brilliance as a painter/illustrator and appreciate the impact that his work had on ornithology. He was certainly dedicated in bringing his vision to fruition. However, it should be noted that he killed birds in order to paint them. Text provided in an exhibit of his work was quoted in a NY Times article: “Nature is violent. We all know that. And John James Audubon was no exception. The self-taught naturalist-painter killed thousands of birds in his day, gaining a biologist’s knowledge of their body parts as he stuffed and painted them.
”He was able to create more natural poses by devising a system using threads or wire tied to the bird’s head, wings and tail, allowing him to position the bird’s various body parts in any way he chose,” reads the text on the gallery wall. ”He would simply lift the wires until a particular position was achieved and then hold everything in place with pins.”” Link to article” https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/30/style/the-dark-side-of-audubon-s-era-and-his-work.html
Audubon was a man of his era, perhaps ahead of it in some ways. At this point, however, I prefer photographs, Ron’s especially.
He killed gobs of birds, Nancy. He even hired hunters to do much of it for him. That’s just the way they did things back then – a different time and a different ethos.
A young Charles Darwin was actually in the audience when Audubon demonstrated his methods of posing dead birds, using the wires you mention, to a scientific audience (in London I believe).
SHUDDER!!!! You cut it up???
Oh professor.
I’m a huge fan of Audobon. Around the age of 10, my mother took myself and my 8 year old sister on an “educational” trip. One stop was the Nationsl Museum. I adore it. My mother allowed us one thing from the gift shop. I chose an Audobon print of Blue Jays. I wish I knew where it was now.
Yup, I sure did. Shudder is right!
Audubon has long been one of my heroes (now sharing that title with you)! His artwork is stunningly beautiful and I’ve lingered over his prints for long periods of time. I’m always gobsmacked by anyone who can create such outlandish beauty! Personally, I’m lucky to create stick figures that might (or probably won’t) remotely resemble the intended critter or person. That someone, anyone could produce that sort of studious attention to detail in a constantly moving subject before photography across so many avian species blows my mind right out of my head!! And yet, he did it, over and over and over again. Just WOW!!
Before I go, I need to challenge the quote from Mike Shaw at Hawk Watch International that those jesses (and yes the strap [rope, string] parts are called jesses) would have been “an eventual death trap.” Within the context that NOTHING is 100% safe, the alymeri jess system comes as close as possible, making the certain-death scenario a low probability. The elements of the alymeri system include an anklet which can be either removable (folded in on itself) or not removable (fastened together by a grommet) and the jess that slips into and out of the grommet or holes in the removable design. Thus, the jess can be easily removed either by the falconer OR the bird (Mariah removes them immediately if I don’t do it for her). All they have to do is pull on the jess and it slips out of the grommet. Also, the non-removable anklet is a misnomer in that the leather degrades and needs to be replaced (generally) annually.
The dangers are that the nylon or dacron braided material of those specific jesses could snag on thorns or other sticky outy things, which is why old-fashioned leather is a better, generally safer material (albeit the braided materials are prettier and many falconers use them). I like to use parachute cord jesses, however, I remove them before the bird flies so that all they’re wearing is the anklet. While Murphy resides with us all the time, I believe it’s unnecessary to invite him in for tea!
The other danger with this specific setup are the loops near the end of the jesses that are intended to be used in a fox knot setup with a swivel that is then attached to the leash for tethering. They can also catch on thorns or other spiky/sticky outy things.
As falconers, our first objective is to keep our birds as safe from danger as humanly possible. I don’t know a single falconer who would knowingly, willingly put their bird in obvious danger. None of us wants to lose a bird. That said, Murphy lives with us constantly–and don’t forget. Murphy was an optimist.
Gyrs (and gyr hybrids) are famous for their contention that they can catch ANYTHING given enough miles, so the falconer’s telemetry (recovery) skills need to be top notch. Oddly, I don’t see any sign of a transmitter on that particular bird! Given their perceived/supposed monetary value (mostly driven by Arabs who have way more money than good sense and somewhat inflated at $10,000), most falconers would have TWO transmitters on that bird just in case one malfunctioned! I’m truly delighted that this individual bird was recovered!! I’d be curious to know how far she traveled from where she was lost.
So, there’s my two cents! Have a GREAT day!
Thanks for your knowledgeable input, Laura.
It wasn’t Mike who said the setup on this Gyrfalcon would be dangerous to the bird living in the wild. It was other falconers, at least two of them if I remember correctly. There was a lot of interest in that bird and in my post from falconers for reasons that are obvious. And I’m still not getting something – if the bird can remove them easily and quickly what’s the point of using them in the first place?
That’s a very good question. It’s one of the reasons–along with the inherent dangers (albeit improbable)–I fly birds without jesses. I find them unnecessary. Many falconers believe they need the jesses for field control. I have a different relationship with my birds (who are no more mine than the air I breathe)!
There is also the reality that some birds never learn how to remove their jesses. It came easily to my birds 😉
I appreciated the heavy nod to Audubon today. I am an exhibit designer in a beautiful natural history museum in Santa Barbara California where we have our very own antique print gallery. Behind the fireproof door in a climate controlled room we have hundreds of Audubon’s birds and mammals. I never tire of working with these prints that are almost 40 inches tall. They do occasionaly get put out on display but we only do three shows a year and we need to display other favorites such as Catesby and Wilson among other natual history artists such as Maria Merian. The fact that he painted all his birds at life size makes me chuckle when he squished and contorted the flamigo to fit on the page.
Sounds like you’re surrounded by oodles of treasures, Marian. I’m jealous.
And the flamingo isn’t the only bird he “squished and contorted” due to size limitations of the prints.
Once again I must have done something wrong. Look for my comments near the bottom of the comments instead of going to the top where it belongs.
Dan, the only thing I know of that can possibly cause what’s happening to your comments is clicking “Reply” to someone’s specific comment rather than using “Leave a reply” at the very bottom of ALL the comments.
Ron, what a wonderful post! Love that going away shot of the kestrel, I am a big fan of that perspective and not just because I’m often slow on the draw. Gyrfalcon, boy would I love to see one in the wild, maybe a northern goshawk too. Your story of your early book editing really digs up some painful memories, guess most of us have some less than wise moments from earlier days. Now I’m off to follow the link to Audubon’s treasures. Thanks again.
Dave, I actually took some photos of a wild Gyrfalcon here in Utah a few years ago. It was very far away so the photos are crap but I’m still glad I have them. The experience of seeing one in the wild was very exciting.
Ron – forgot to mention, and apologies for using your website, but Happy Veteran’s Day to any of Ron’s feathered followers who also served.
Everett Sanborn, USN
No apologies needed, Everett.
Ron – thanks for the beautiful Kestrel photo – that wingspan is gorgeous. And thanks for the reminder of what a remarkable person and artist Mr. Audubon was. I am going to download the Audubon Kestrel painting and print it out for framing. Since I do work with the Kestrel restoration folks here I think it would be nice to have that.
PS: can’t close off here without a high-five for your friend Mike Shaw – what an accomplishment to have trapped that very valuable and beautiful White Gyrfalcon and return it to its owner
Mike’s a great guy, Everett. He was also instrumental in helping us get Galileo to rehab after I cut him out of the barbed wire. It was Father’s Day so finding anyone who could help was difficult. Mike took the bull by the horns.
Both of your photos are terrific. I have always like the ‘back-side’ views to see the beauty of the feathers and the Kestrel has so much to offer for that. How fortunate to get a photo of that white Gyrfalcon. What a beauty. Thank you for the link…I’ve always admired the perfection in the Audubon photos. I know I’ll definitely use that link.
Kathy, I actually got a fair number of photos of that white Gyrfalcon but light wasn’t great and it was usually high up on the pole you see in the photo.
Wonderful post and pictures! I can’t wait to check the Audubon link.
Thanks, Carol. Hope you enjoy the prints.
Beautiful photos and prints! 🙂 The kestrel’s colors and position is amazing! Sure glad the gyrfalcon was recaptured – would certainly hate to see that lovely bird die for that reason… Think all of us have things like that book we could kill ourselves for late – young and stupid happens……. 🙁
“young and stupid happens”
Maybe so but this one was a doozy. Thanks, Judy.
For many years, Audubon’s work was less impressive to me than they should have been. They seemed nicely done, especially for their time, but the birds were often painted in very awkward positions. But that all changed just a few years ago. I attended our (Wild Birds Unlimited) annual national conference. Our group was invited to come into the art museum for a special evening opening. They had just opened a large exhibit of Audubon and his work. Many of his original prints were on display. If you ever have an opportunity to see any of these prints up close, do so. They are bright, vibrant and very, very impressive. No reproduction compares well with the original prints. They are simply stunning in many ways. It was also here where I learned the reason for the odd postures of the birds. He wanted to paint as close to life-size as possible but he only had very limited space. The full size of the print was the only space he had to work with. They are quite large, but a full sized heron, for example, simply won’t fit in that space if pained standing erect. The neck must be bent down and forward in order to fit. Now the positions made sense. Seeing the original prints is an experience well worth anyone’s time.Third or fourth generation prints, even if full-size, simply can’t compare with the original first-run editions. But I encourage everyone to go to the link and study the images in detail. It may not have the pop of the original but still well worth your attention.
Dan, I appreciate your perspective on how much more impressive the original prints are than copies of them. If I ever get the chance to see some originals I’ll definitely make the effort!
Thanks for the information on the hi-res Audubon images. I have just checked out the link and bookmarked the page. I always learn something when I read your blog. Thanks again for a great way to start my day.
Thanks, Justine. I think that link is well worth some browsing time…