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Birds, Insects & Bats in flight (outdoors) Page 31
Image Taken on 15 Aug 2019
at 13:51 Image of day on 03 Oct 2019
Here the female Kestrel flies to another hunting hover.
We didn't see her drop to the ground before she vanished hundreds of
metres away.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191003_df3_20190815_1351_052-054 kestrel female flying between short hovers over harvested crop 1-3 of 3 (close spaced montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Oct 2021
at 13:35 Image of day on 16 Nov 2021
The Kestrel spotted something from the extended hover and makes a controlled
but speedy descent out of sight on the other side of the hedge as usual :-(
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20211116_d72_20211003_1335_142-145 kestrel female flying down after hover @8fps (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Feb 2015
at 10:48 Image of day on 02 Apr 2015
Finally attacking her target, the female Kestrel never actually
touched down. Here is her upward flight from near the ground into
the nearby Black Poplar tree where she rested for a minute or two
before flying off.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20150402_df2_20150218_1048_121-126 kestrel female flying from failed stoop to land in black poplar 1-6 of 6 (accurate montage @5fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Sep 2023
at 10:45 Image of day on 06 Nov 2023
Two days later we see the female Kestrel again. She seems to be getting used
to us being 'mostly harmless'.
.jpg)
Ref: 20231106_df3_20230917_1045_357 kestrel female flying overhead(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Dec 2019
at 10:44 Image of day on 30 Jan 2020
The female Kestrel has been hunting intensively over the farm's fields.
Here she turns a hover into a dive to the ground, but presumably her
prey 'did a runner' and the bird pulls out of her dive.
Unfortunately photographer has already 'lost' her against the hedge and carried
on panning downwards to the landing that didn't happen, so losing focus on the bird
as she flies away.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20200130_df3_20191229_1044_071-084 kestrel female hovering + diving + pulling upward 01-14 of 14 (montage accurate 03-14)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Nov 2019
at 10:15 Image of day on 20 Dec 2019
Several sightings of Kestrels this week have been mostly whoosh and gone.
But this bird is intent on a hunt over the sprouting crop.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20191220_df3_20191110_1015_028-030 kestrel female hovering 1-3 of 3 (vertically separated montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Feb 2015
at 10:43 Image of day on 02 Apr 2015
The local female Kestrel spent a couple of days intensively
hunting around our patch.
Here are 3 images vertically spread of her hovering. She spent
about 5 minutes in a hover near the farm entrance oblivious to
the traffic, dropping down in steps over what was obviously a
'beak-watering' prey.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20150402_df2_20150218_1043_003+027+028 kestrel female hovering 1-3 of 3 (vertically spread montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2020
at 14:59 Image of day on 04 Oct 2020
An hour later the female Kestrel surprised us by momentarily hovering about 2m
above the back 'garden lawn'. The photographer just pointed the camera and
'fired', and was surprised to find even 2 frames with reasonable pics of the
kestrel on it. Long-live Auto-focus!
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20201004_d73_20200822_1459_243 kestrel female hovering 2 metres high over back garden grass 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Jan 2019
at 14:26 Image of day on 05 Feb 2019
... and rose up for another hunt. All in 2 minutes.
(r+mb id@432).jpg)
Ref: 20190205_df3_20190101_1426_089+087+090 kestrel female hovering 4+2+5 of 6 (vertically spread montage)(r+mb id@432).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Jan 2019
at 14:25 Image of day on 05 Feb 2019
... turned (into the wind of course - she is also know as a 'Wind Hover') and Hovered ...
(r+mb id@432).jpg)
Ref: 20190205_df3_20190101_1425_067-064 kestrel female hovering 4-1 of 4 (montage spread upwards)(r+mb id@432).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2020
at 09:35 Image of day on 17 Jan 2021
A bit more detail of the hovering Kestrel.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210117_d73_20201214_0935_072 kestrel female hovering in gusty wind 10 of 12 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2020
at 09:35 Image of day on 17 Jan 2021
Here hovering in a blustery wind you can see that the female Kestrel's beak tip
is motionless against the distant tree despite the movements of her wings and body.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210117_d73_20201214_0935_066-073 kestrel female hovering in gusty wind maintaining head position 04+06+07+11 of 12 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Oct 2023
at 13:18 Image of day on 30 Nov 2023
One of the more interesting moments in one of the Kestrel's hovers.
Kestrels always face into the wind when they hover and apparently can not
hover in still air. A well established common name is the 'Windhover'.
.jpg)
Ref: 20231130_df3_20231016_1318_068 kestrel female hovering in strong wind(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Sep 2022
at 12:42 Image of day on 31 Oct 2022
More usually Kestrels around here hunt from perches on the numerous cables and
their support posts. But with a decent wind this one follows the traditional
behaviour for a 'Windhover' of hanging staggeringly stationary head-on into the
breeze using judicious wing flaps and manoeuvring her various flight feathers
and tail. She suddenly dived down behind a hedge and, for us, disappeared.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20221031_df3_20220922_1242_016+014+017+019+023 kestrel female hovering in strong wind (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Feb 2016
at 12:43 Image of day on 29 Mar 2016
After spending a few minutes hunting from a Black Poplar by the roadside this
female Kestrel was hovering to our east facing into biting north wind.
 (montage impression)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20160329_df3_20160225_1243_034+051+064 kestrel female hovering in strong wind (selected) (montage impression)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2019
at 11:08 Image of day on 18 Jan 2020
Next day we watched her hunting over the farm crop. She took up a series of
hover positions, as always facing into the wind, but the wind was so strong that
she hardly ever flapped her wings, keeping station by endless adjustments of the
wing angles, tail position and the Alulae (the wing's 'thumbs'). Wonderful to
watch such accomplished flight.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20200118_df3_20191214_1108_100+104+106 kestrel female hovering in strong wind without flapping wings 1+5+7 of 7 (offset montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Nov 2021
at 10:45 Image of day on 28 Dec 2021
The new Female Kestrel doesn't provide any opportunities for hand-held portraits,
but she hunts while hovering much more than 'Grey Feather', so here is one
of her near the Bridleway to the north, hovering in front of an 11kV cable.
The hover starts at the top and this sequence, with a cable a useful
vertical reference, and a tower (cropped out) providing horizontal positioning,
shows how well the Kestrel keeps station.
Here is a general view of about 1.3 seconds of action ...
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20211228_d72_20211121_1045_009-019 kestrel female hovering near 11kv cables 01-11 of 11 (montage 1 @8fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Nov 2021
at 10:45 Image of day on 28 Dec 2021
... and here more detail of the bird to see the wings and tail in action.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20211228_d72_20211121_1045_009-019 kestrel female hovering near 11kv cables 01-11 of 11 (montage 3 @8fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Oct 2014
at 16:16 Image of day on 16 Dec 2014
Moving between hovers we get a view of the top of this female
kestrel's wings
 05 of 33 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141216_df2_20141008_1616_091 kestrel female hovering over meadow looking about & flying off @5fps (selected) 05 of 33 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Oct 2014
at 16:16 Image of day on 16 Dec 2014
During one hover this female Kestrel's attention gets taken with something
we had no sight of off to our left.
 20 of 33 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20141216_df2_20141008_1616_155 kestrel female hovering over meadow looking about & flying off @5fps (selected) 20 of 33 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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