K Is For Kestrel

Those of you who've been reading the blog for a while know how much I love these American Kestrels. They're nearly impossible to find in the wild, but there is a pair that lives in a giant dead oak behind my parents house. They're skittish, so whenever I try to get close, they fly off. Being so small, you have to get close to get a good picture. This bird you see here injured a wing and is now unable to live in the wild. So I was able to get some good shots of him at the Cortez Heritage Festival today. I only wish he'd been out in the sun instead of under a tent, but I'm still pretty happy with these pictures. Look at the markings on this guy! He's beautiful!