Kestrel and Robin

I had spent many hours in a hide near a Kestrel box at a nearby farm. Finally patience paid off and one late afternoon the female came in clearly exhausted, perching with one talon while barely hanging on to this headless robin with the other. After a few moments of rest, she took off for the nest only to return to the perch with her prey to partially dismember it presumably to get rid of non-essential portions of the carcass.

Mouse Delivery

A nesting pair of American Kestrels had hatched out 5 nestlings and spent much of their time delivering food to the new birds. Most of the time the male was out hunting and there was a delivery ritual when he brought back food for the nest. Here the male is just arriving back to deliver a mouse to the female who will take to the nest in a kestrel box.

Fresh Lizard Delivery

A pair of American Kestrels had nested in a kestrel box on the edge of the Boise foothills and hatched out 5 eggs. All nestlings were females and they had big appetites that kept the parents shuffling food in all day long. Here the female parent delivers a fresh lizard to one of the nestlings at the opening in the kestrel box.

Sisterly Love

These two female American Kestrel fledglings had only ben out of the nesting box for less than 24 hours when this photo was taken. The sisters found comfort in each others company as they waited for the parent birds to bring food as they had not yet learned to hunt.

American Kestrel Wired In

This newly fledged American Kestrel managed to make it to a barbed wire fence where he was able to rest from his first flight endeavor. I am sure this won’t be the last wire that he sits on.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology