The Beauty of a Kestrel

[Lady Jane]

I love this bird's beauty and life of a Falcon. One of my many trips to Colorado my daughter and I were watching one watching us. We were looking through glass doors and he was watching the small birds at the feeder. There was one bird that was not doing so well in the deep snow and Kestrel saw this bird immediately and swooped down and grabbed his meal. Here are two photos. One of them shows him as he wings were spread out catching the tiny siskin bird and the other was taken when he was finished his meal sitting calmly in the top of a tree.

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

That picture of him swooping in on the Siskin is amazing! Kestrels are so beautiful.

 

[Lady Jane]

The wing span itself was so wide i could not believe what i was seeing. The kestrel picked most all feathers off the dead bird before he started eating.

 

[Hjarta5]

I saw a kestrel hanging in midair off the Dorset coast last summer when I was in England. After what seemed like 5 minutes, the kestrel swooped downwards and grabbed something from the tall grass below. I was so impressed!

 

[Shezbug]

Nice shots, I bet that was exciting to watch.
I watched four or five kites all doing the dive on something in the neighbors yard yesterday and even though I have no idea what they were diving for it was so exciting to see them move like that, their skills are amazing.

 

[Lady Jane]

What amazed me is how the Kestrel knew which bird was the weakest. Pine Siskin are very small. Also it was not much of a meal. But it was mid winter and snow everywhere. We were standing close enough to touch him when he swooped down and i think he must have known we were behind glass.

 

[hrafn]

What incredible shots! Gorgeous!

 

[LovieLuvr]

A little bird with so much power. They really are amazing birds.

 

[Lady Jane]

When you see a Kestrel close up they are really not so little.

 

[Lady Jane]

More info on a Kestrel.


Soaring high with some more American Kestrel Facts....American Kestrels nest in cavities, although they lack the ability to excavate their own. They rely on old woodpecker holes, natural tree hollows, rock crevices, and nooks in buildings and other human-built structures. The male searches for possible nest cavities. When he’s found suitable candidates, he shows them to the female, who makes the final choice. Typically, nest sites are in trees along wood edges or in the middle of open ground. American Kestrels take readily to nest boxes.
American Kestrels do not use nesting materials. If the cavity floor is composed of loose material, the female hollows out a shallow depression there. (photo by Christopher Ciccone)

 

[Lady Jane]

This is the coloring book artist version of a Kestrel. This is a photo of his drawing he colored himself. Soon to be released in one of his majestic grayscale coloring books.