American Kestrels (continued)

PrescottPhotog

Hi Everyone..

Here are a few recent shots of the many American Kestrels hunting in the area I photo.

I have learned from watching the Kestrels that they are fierce and determined hunters. They don't miss many times.

Also, it seems to me that they normally hunt the same area for the whole day. When they capture a mouse they fly off to eat it then come back to the same area or tree to continue. This guy made many captures and trips and returned each time to the same perch to continue..

The first shot isn't a good shot, the tree was to far away for my bad eyes to manual focus through all the branches, but it gives you the idea how his day was going.

#1

#2

#3

#4

Giphsub

Sweet set Chris! I love these birds. Such a beautiful and fierce looking thing!

PrescottPhotog

Giphsub wrote:

Sweet set Chris! I love these birds. Such a beautiful and fierce looking thing!

Hi Mike.. I agree cute and fierce. Here is a shot I didn't post because it is fairly OOF but I worked it over and reduced it. The Kestrel went flying by my head and I snapped this shot like a gun slinger, from the hip. You can see the eyes and nose of the poor little mouse on his way to his demise.

#1
http://www.webblinks.com/postings/sm_011708/ak_4.jpg

Giphsub

damn! So how close were you to the bird?

BigAl

Very nice set! #2 superb!

Maestro

I really like Number 2. These guys are so skittish. NIce work getting close.

D.Rodgers

Very nice.The light is perfect on these.I like 2&3 the best.

GBZee

Hi Chris,
A great set of captures! I especially like #2 & #3. You had good light foe these. Where were these taken? I'm in Tennessee and I'm not sure if we have Kestrels around herem...I'll have to look it up.

What did you captures these with? Sounds like handheld too...excellent!

GBZee

Interesting Kestrel Fact
Well, I looked them up .....didn't know they are relatively common in Norht America but that's not what I found interesting, but this was...

"Nestling kestrels back up, raise their tails, and squirt feces onto the walls of the nest cavity. The feces dry on the cavity walls and stay off the nestlings. The nest gets to be a smelly place, with feces on the walls and uneaten parts of small animals on the floor."

Well, so much for keeping Home Sweet Home nice and tidy..:D

BBiggs

Nice shots of this falcon! They are so hard to get close to in the wild!

PrescottPhotog

BigAl wrote:

Very nice set! #2 superb!

Hi Al, Thank for your comments

PrescottPhotog

Maestro wrote:

I really like Number 2. These guys are so skittish. NIce work getting close.

Hi Stephen, Thanks for your comments.

PrescottPhotog

D.Rodgers wrote:

Very nice.The light is perfect on these.I like 2&3 the best.

Hi Dave, Thanks for your comments.

PrescottPhotog

GBZee wrote:

What did you captures these with? Sounds like handheld too...excellent!

Hi George, I've been using my 300 2.8 with 1.4 extender a lot lately. It is a great setup, super fast focus even with the extender still giving me an f/4. Then if I need to I can shed the 1.4. And yes, I shoot mostly handheld or on a monopod with a full Wimberley. Shots were taken in Prescott.

PrescottPhotog

BBiggs wrote:

Nice shots of this falcon! They are so hard to get close to in the wild!

Hi Brenton, Thanks for the comment and for viewing.

Harryb

Excellent captures of a difficult subject.

wapiti

I know that we have Kestrels here in Texas, but, if I 've ever seen one, I don't recall it and I certainly have never photographed one. Wonderful images.