The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

Month: September 2021
Organization: City of Waterloo
Products: ArcGIS Pro
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Inspired by wood carvings by the mapmaker’s grandfather, this map depicts the seasonal range and abundance of the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). The primary datasets were sourced from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird. Using this data, the seasonal range of the Kestrel was layered onto a map of North America with vintage hillshade. This subtle terrain relief provided additional context and furthered the aesthetic appeal. The marginalia of the map contain callouts to interesting aspects of the data, descriptions of the migration habits of the Kestrel and charts illustrating the seasonal variations in the Kestrel’s ranges. Two illustrations of the subject carvings adorn the map as both an homage and a reference for the reader.