Hawks and eagles are particularly difficult to carve, mainly because of their unique heads.  Matt spends more time on the heads of  his hawks than on the bodies.   Painting a hawk is also very difficult.  Although most hawks are more or less brown, there are subtle differences between them, and Matt makes every effort to capture these differences.  He often paints a bird several times before he's satisfied.
 

The Peregrine Falcon is the epitome of "hawkdom".  The fastest flyer of all, beautiful, and capable of knocking ducks out of the sky, it's a hawk difficult to capture in all its elegance.  The photos show Matt's only carving of this magnificent raptor.  Unfortunately the sharp point on the bill is difficult to see because of the dark background, but this defining characteristic has been carefully captured in this fine carving.  Also the bright sun belies the carving's appearance as it would be in a home setting.  A life-size carving of a male peregrine standing from foot to top of head at about 17" (which is smaller than the  female) would cost $1,000

NOTE - MATT IS NOW HELPING A CLIENT SELL THIS CARVING FOR ONLY $500!!  IT APPEARS TO BE IN MINT CONDITION, EXCEPT FOR THE APPEARANCE OF THE SEAM BETWEEN THE HEAD AND BODY, WHICH CAN BE EASILY CORRECTED BY MATT FOR $75.  FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR A PEREGRINE FALCON CARVING, THIS WOULD BE A STEAL!  CONTACT MATT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

Another falcon, the smallest of the 3 found in America, is the very delicate (in appearance) Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk.  The photo below shows the very beautiful, robin-sized male.  The female is a bit large and not as striking with her dark reddish-brown plumage.  Currently a carving of this quality is $750.
 
 
 
 
 

     The Red-tailed hawk is the most likely hawk seen in trees as one drives through the Northeastern part of America.  A full-size     carving of the fine quality shown below would be $1000.  The feet are pewter casts.
 

The three photos below are of a single carving of a Cooper's Hawk, one of three long-tailed, short-winged forest hawks found in North America.  The others are the smaller Sharp-Shinned Hawk and the much larger and regal Goshawk.  The client who cmmissioned this piece was very familiar with this species since they nested on his property and he had many photos.  Matt had to use the photos to be sure he carved what the client saw, not what other artists interpreted (one critic said the hawk was too fat, alluding to the "heaviness" around the legs - Matt would have slimmed it down a bit, but that was what was in the photo).  The result is a very accurate and original carving which a good birder will readily recognize.  A carving of this quality is currently $850.

The Bald Eagle to the right is actually a miniature carving.  It was a special request.  Compare the attitude, detail and price with any other carvers' efforts and you'll see how reasonable it is at $600.  Larger eagles will be priced accordingly.  The bird alone is about 5 inches high, which you can see relative to the adult hand holding the base of the carving.  The base, devised by Matt, is actually simulated rock.

This Bald Eagle family with a begging chick is also a miniature (the adult eagle stands 5" tall). Matt also made the feet, using wire and epoxy and formed to fit the branch.  Unfortunately the washed out photo shows the head detail very poorly, but it's at least as fine as the miniature above.  The background doesn't come with the carving (unless you want to buy Matt's farm). The cost of this piece is $650

The eaglets shown on the left are carvings commissioned by the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge to replace others that were substandard.  Matt used real goose down from his home flock to simulate the eaglet's down. (he hasn't figure out how to cave convincing down yet). The one in the foreground is begging food from an adult coming in to the nest with a fish in its talons, The other eaglet is content to just let his full crop empty a bit.  The latter also appears smaller for two reasons.  It is well behind the begging eaglet, but it is also actually a bit smaller because it had hatched a day later. Often the larger chick is the sole survivor in a nest.  These eaglets, along with a pair of Tundra Swans Matt carved, reside at the Bateman Center at the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge.  Matt did not do the adult eagle, but before he reitired, the refuge superintendent was considering having Matt redo that as well; Matt may get that chance in the future.

 

The Osprey, also known as the Fish Hawk is common in Matt's area.  The carving below (on the left), as you can see by the fingers in the photo, is about 2 inches high!

The client wanted one just an inch high!  Matt wasn't sure it was possible to do and still get the precise detail seen here; note the long, sharp hook at the end  of the beak, and the crest.  The carved feather pattern in the wings and tail don't show up in this photo.  Luckily the client didn't require feet!  He mounted it as shown in the photo on the right, over the excellent nest he painstakingly built himself.

 A carving of this quality is $250.  Matt will carve a full-size osprey too - call for a price (a standing bird would be somewhere in the $1000 range.  Below are photos sent by the client showing the same carving as above, after the client had built the excellent nest shown here.