It's a double digit day! 😁 This image is one that I was able to get this spring, I have not seen these birds around all summer. Maybe they go north to get out of the heat. This is an American Kestrel. They usually hang out on the electrical wires at the corner of the road I walk pretty often. Hope they return this year. They are an endangered bird as their habitat is disappearing.
Today's image is of one of my favorite birds to capture. This is a Kestrel. I have not seen any around this summer, I think they go further north because of the heat. Hope to see them again this winter. They are endangered though, so we shall see.
Today's image is another of the American Kestrel that I was able to photograph on my trip to Missouri in late November. I had a really great opportunity to take several photos as it hovered in place hunting.
I thought I would start off the new year and birds with another of my Kestrel hunting photos. Maybe it will bring me luck in having more opportunities like this to photograph birds. It was quite cool to be able to see and capture this one while it was hovering and looking for food on a trip to Missouri in November.
Back to "regular" type photos now. 😊 Today's image is another of the Kestrel I was able to capture while it was hunting that I saw on my trip to Missouri at Thanksgiving. I was able to pull off to the side of the road and get my camera and take several images before it moved on. Very cool to see.
Last week I shared the first American Kestrel that I was able to see an capture in my area. While I was traveling for Thanksgiving, I had just passed into Missouri when I saw a Kestrel hovering off to the side. I quickly pulled over and grabbed my camera and was rewarded in that it stayed there hunting for a while longer. I was able to get some of my closest and best shots ever of which this is one of them. Not sure what it was watching but it never seemed to swoop down and get anything.
Today's image is of my first Kestrel sighting for this season. I was very happy to see one back in our area. I have heard that they are having issues and could become very endangered soon.
It's a double digit day! I haven't seen these birds around lately, they seem to be more elusive in the summer or maybe they go north to get out of the heat. This is another image of an American Kestrel hovering while hunting that I was able to capture this past winter. It is very cool to see, they stay in one spot for quite some time, can be 30 seconds or more.
Spring is finally here officially! Today's image is another of an event I have seen and been able to capture a couple of times now. Kestrels can hover in the air while hunting. It is quite cool how they can stay in one place and then dive down to catch their prey. I recently saw a close up video of this on YouTube that was pretty cool. Here is the link: Hovering Kestrel on YouTube
Today's image is another of the hovering Kestral photos I was able to get recently. It is very cool to see them do this and then dive for a meal.
I have not seen this guy around for a while to capture. A few weeks back I was able to capture him while he was hovering in the wind and looking for prey. It was very cool to see. This is an American Kestrel male.
So, last time I captured my first Kestrel in a tree good photos. This time I am sharing an image that was another accomplishment I was very happy with, I captured one in flight. I was out walking recently and there was a bird that I could tell was a raptor of some sort flying over a field and almost seeming to hover at times so I took some shots of it. When I looked at them larger I could tell for sure it was an American Kestrel. I was very pleased that I was even able to capture some well focused images of it of which this is one.
It's a double digit day! I recently bought a lens to use for astrophotography. I ended up purchasing an older 300mm totally manual lens. I purchased it based on reviews that it was supposed to be incredibly sharp which is what I really needed for what I want to do with it. I decided to take it out on a walk a couple weekends ago and captured my first American Kestrel of the winter. I have to say, I was suitably impressed with the lens and it's sharpness. This is cropped quite a bit as well. This is an adult male. I was pleased to be able to get it in a tree as well as they are usually sitting on the light poles or electrical wires.
I still have some photos I took early this spring of birds I was able to capture this year. One day the Kestrel was being cooperative and sat closer than normal on one of the wires. It gave me a nice over the shoulder look before it finally moved elsewhere.
The Kestrel seems to be allowing me to get closer to it these days. This is cropped but still way closer than I have ever been to it. Still on a wire though but....
Happy first of March! We are getting closer to spring! I captured this shot recently of the Kestrel. I wish it was in a tree but this is the closest I have gotten yet. They are cool looking small raptors.
Around our area I have been seeing a different type of hawk. This is a Red Shouldered Hawk. They are recognized by the markings on the chest, size and color of the tail and shape and color of the head. I was able to capture this one being chased by a Kestrel. Fun to see the much smaller bird giving the larger one such a hard time.
I would much rather get bird shots in a natural setting but I had to share this one. I have seen an American Kestrel hanging out on the power pole fairly regulary while on my walk. This day there were 2 sitting together and my shot actually came out rather well though this is heavily cropped. I was very happy to get it since it is an uncommon sight for me.
It's June already! Summer will officially arrive and the year seems to be flying by. I was out walking the other day and I saw that the Kestrels are still here. I saw 3 of them and was able to capture this one in a tree with it's dinner before it flew off to another perch.
This is an image of an American Kestrel I was able to get late this past winter while on a walk. It wasn't as cooperative as I would have liked but it turned out fairly well even though it was shot from behind.
