Male American Kestrel perched on a Tamarisk shrub – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/4000, ISO 500, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
Yesterday morning at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge wasn’t as birdy as I had hoped it would be and early on I had several opportunities with Rough-legged Hawks that certainly didn’t go the way I would have liked.
Later in the morning I was able to photograph a pair of Common Mergansers but they were pretty far away and the way the light fell on them wasn’t always the best. I was beginning to think I was going to go home without any images of birds that I liked. Then I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk and got photos of it in flight that look nice.
But the photos I liked most were of two male American Kestrels I found on the way back to the interstate. I spotted the first male at the top of a Tamarisk shrub and when I saw the second bird I fully expected it to be a female and was surprised to see that it was another male.
Male American Kestrel being buffeted by a strong breeze – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
I don’t often see male American Kestrels in such close proximity unless they are siblings just fresh out of the nest. I believe it is a bit late in the year for siblings to still be hanging around together so I wouldn’t presume to call the two male kestrels siblings but who knows, they just might be but my guess is that they probably weren’t. It might just be two overwintering males sharing hunting grounds, at least temporarily.
Both male American Kestrels seemed to be playing with each other because they bumped each other off of the tops of the shrubs several times although it didn’t seem aggressive to me at all. It was fun to watch their interactions but it did make it challenging to photograph the kestrels.
Male American Kestrel struggling to maintain his grip on thin branches – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/3200, ISO 500, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
While this male American Kestrel struggled to maintain his grip on the thin branches of the Tamarisk I struggled to keep him in my viewfinder. He bounced around in the stiff breeze until he decided to lift off and land on a shrub closer to the ground. By that time I had lost sight of the second male kestrel.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my American Kestrel photos plus facts and information about this species.
Great shots in difficult circumstances. The colour and markings of both the male and female Kestrel are captivating.
Great shots — really like the turn of the tail in the last one.
Echoing Marty. Again.
Great shots of these normally shy birds, Mia – you captured all of their identifying characteristics in each shot.
Cool shots Mia
The light blue sky really brings out the colors of the Kestrels. Excellent photos.
I love the colouring of both male and female American Kestrels. Beautiful photos.