Little Bit
They say that good things come in small packages, and here's a great example. This full-grown kestrel measures only about 8 inches high, but I think he's one of the coolest of the raptors. It's rare to see these guys in the wild, and even rarer to get close to one, so I always get excited when I see one at an event. I spotted this guy at the Oscar Scherer Earth Day celebration this past Sunday. The only time I saw him out was early in the morning, which is a shame because more people should get the chance to see one of these awesome birds.
Hi Ernie,
ReplyDeleteHow these pictures bring back memories! We moved into a new apartment building in 1987 on what was then the outskirts of town - except for the road leading up to the apartment the surrounding area was just bush, with a lot of wildlife roaming around. Nothing large - animals like hares, small buck etc. After a couple of years a pair of kestrels decided to nest in the window box just outside one of our living-room windows. Soon, two eggs appeared, and both kestrels took turns sitting on them. The birds were not nervous of us and we were careful not to disturb them. The chicks eventually hatched and we watched the parents feed them - they would come back to the nest with worms, lizards and other small creatures. One day one of the chicks hopped through the open window and perched on the back of a chair. They were (or seemed to be) quite tame and we enjoyed their presence. Later on, when they approached adulthood and were able to fly, all four disappeared and we never saw them again...
just think we have a pair living close to us, either in our field or across the street..mom
ReplyDeleteDid someone try to eat him? He looks pretty banged up.
ReplyDelete