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Birds, Insects & Bats in flight (outdoors) Page 34
Image Taken on 12 Oct 2021
at 12:13 Image of day on 24 Nov 2021
... and another visit 4 hours later.
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Ref: 20211124_d01_20211012_1213_054+055_fb6 kestrel female landing on meadow post back to camera 1+2 of 2 (montage over 400ms)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Oct 2021
at 07:59 Image of day on 07 Dec 2021
One of the female Kestrels lands on the Meadow post in a seriously gloomy morning.
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Ref: 20211207_d01_20211027_0759_053_fb6 kestrel female landing on meadow post in gloomy morning 1 of 2(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jun 2021
at 13:37 Image of day on 01 Aug 2021
The females Kestrel arrived on the meadow post with a Hawker Dragonfly in her
beak - a unique event in our records. The Dragonfly species is clearly
identifiable from the pic - a female Brown Hawker Dragonfly.
One could object to the Kestrel killing this beautiful creature, but the Dragonfly itself
feeds purely by hunting, and so on down the food chain.
Although Owls carry prey items in their beaks, we had assumed that Kestrels always
carried prey in their talons. Maybe the Kestrel found the Dragonfly sunbathing on the post
and snatched it with the beak. But is so light (less than 1 gram) and she could also easily fly with it.
We tabulated weights of some insects over a decade ago - see
Weights of Insects
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Ref: 20210801_d01_20210627_1337_004_fb6 kestrel female landing on meadow post with brown hawker dragonfly female in beak 2 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jun 2021
at 10:57 Image of day on 31 Jul 2021
Mid morning next day she similarly arrives with a smaller Rodent, but for whatever
reason leaves without obviously eating it 'on the spot'.
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Ref: 20210731_d01_20210626_1057_211_fb6 kestrel female landing on meadow post with rodent in claws 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Oct 2021
at 13:33 Image of day on 16 Nov 2021
3 moments from an extended hover by this female Kestrel on the far side of the hedge
across from the front door.
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Ref: 20211116_d72_20211003_1333_116+122+128 kestrel female leaves hover (selected montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Nov 2013
at 09:54 Image of day on 17 Jan 2014
The current local female Kestrel seems to tolerate us a little
better than average (i.e. doesn't fly off at a sighting hundreds
of metres away!). We were watching her on the 11kV overhead
cables and she unexpectedly flew down to the hedge immediately
below and spent a couple of minutes staring at the ground and
momentarily, us. The bird was on a substantial chamfer on the
hedge top (cut this way to stop snow build-up breaking the
branches) and we have maintained the angle in this montage.
 1+5+3+4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20140117_a77_20131129_0954_016+029+022+023 kestrel female moved from overhead 11kv cables to hunt from hedge (selected) 1+5+3+4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jan 2021
at 14:44 Image of day on 17 Feb 2021
Next morning we discovered that the female Kestrel had a few minutes earlier
flown over the Kitchen Window Perch (left image below) and a few minutes later
landed on the perch (right image below) presumably to hunt over the rough grass
below.
So this montage isn't what it looks like!
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Ref: 20210217_e60_20210121_1444_008+1438_007_fb3 kestrel female on kitchen perch and flyby (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Dec 2020
at 13:24 Image of day on 23 Jan 2021
She flew straight from the cables towards the house ...
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Ref: 20210123_d73_20201219_1324_014-018 kestrel female takeoff from mains power line 1-5 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2020
at 09:56 Image of day on 19 Jan 2021
The female Kestrel takes off after a feed - climbing straight up into the sky for a hover facing
into the wind.
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Ref: 20210119_d73_20201214_0956_368-384 kestrel female takes prey from grass then takes off to hover 1+6+8+11+16 of 22 (acc montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2020
at 09:56 Image of day on 19 Jan 2021
The female Kestrel continues here ascent.
Top bird above is immediately below the bottom bird below.
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Ref: 20210119_d73_20201214_0956_385-390 kestrel female takes prey from grass then takes off to hover 15-20 of 22 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Nov 2008
at 12:13 Image of day on 05 Dec 2008
This Kestrel went down in the grass and lost site of it. When it
took off and we picked it up in the camera just as it was pulling
a piece of the prey from it's talon. The pictures are sequenced
top right to bottom left. In the last it still has some left
in its talon, and it went on to eat that a few second later.
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Ref: 20081205_dc1_20081119_1213_244+246+248 kestrel female taking food from talon in flight montage 1+3+4 of 5(r+mb id@1002).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Aug 2016
at 16:17 Image of day on 19 Sep 2016
Taking off after an unsuccessful dive to the fallow field, back in the air our
female Kestrel twists in the air to change direction - well she might not have
liked the look of the photographer. This is about 1 second of flight only
slightly spread horizontally on the right to avoid overlaps.
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Ref: 20160919_df3_20160803_1617_098-103 kestrel female turning in flight 1-6 of 6 (slightly spread montage @ 6fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 05 Oct 2011
at 16:00 Image of day on 21 Nov 2011
A passing swoop into the wind of the female Kestrel on an
overcast afternoon accurately montaged so you have a bit short of
1 second of flight here.
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Ref: 20111121_df1_20111005_1600_009-013 kestrel female turning in flight then diving behind trees 09-13 of 15 (accurate montage at 7fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Dec 2020
at 12:49 Image of day on 20 Jan 2021
A good view of the feathers on our female Kestrel.
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Ref: 20210120_d73_20201214_1249_573 kestrel female with feathers evenly spread in flight(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Feb 2020
at 16:56 Image of day on 01 Mar 2020
In the above montage, and more clearly here, you can see that this female has
a single Grey tail feather to the left - a tail with the female markings but male colour.
Gender just isn't simple is it!
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Ref: 20200301_d01_20200203_1656_027_fb6 kestrel female with single grey tail feather landing back to camera on meadow post(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Oct 2009
at 10:42 Image of day on 04 Nov 2009
A lovely surprise was 2 female kestrels flying overhead
within the same minute - first a 'normal' and secondly our 'blonde' bird.
We have montaged two similar aerial positions together to show the different
colouring.
 flyover (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20091104_db1_20091002_1042_154+173 kestrel females (normal and blonde) flyover (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Oct 2009
at 14:50 Image of day on 27 Nov 2009
A Kestrel flyby - we definitely felt 'watched'.
Artistic layout only - just an 'impression'.
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Ref: 20091127_db1_20091018_1450_037+038+040+1451_044 kestrel flyby 1+2+3+5 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jun 2008
at 16:10 Image of day on 01 Jul 2008
The male Kestrel had a leg injury and was struggling a bit, but
now seems to be back to his old health.
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Ref: 20080701_dc1_20080617_1610_338 kestrel hovering(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Apr 2007
at 17:54 Image of day on 09 May 2007
In the evening sun a Kestrel swooped and hovered over our patch
for a few minutes, the sun for once lighting the underside.
Here is one while it was hovering - we didn't see it catch anything.
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Ref: 20070509_d10_20070420_1754_015 kestrel hovering (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Dec 2009
at 10:59 Image of day on 18 Jan 2010
Despite the difficult lighting, this kestrel hovering in a strong
wind with wings and claws all over the place had to be included.
In this sequence the bird was basically stationary horizontally
but gradually losing height relative to a cloud line near the top.
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Ref: 20100118_db1_20091213_1059_154-159 kestrel hovering & slowly losing height 04-09 of 10 (vertically accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
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