The Last Winter

During its last winter on the cliffside, the falcon continued its ritual of preening, a farewell to a lifetime of solitary vigils. The cold winds whispered through the rugged terrain as the bird, aware of the approaching end, tended to its feathers. The cliff, a witness to countless seasons, stood as a backdrop to the falcon’s final moments. And in the fading light, the bird’s act of self-care was an acknowledgment of the inevitable passage of time and the circle of life on the desolate cliffside

Photograph by Robert David Atkinson