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Birds - Kestrel Page 12
Image Taken on 27 Jun 2021
at 12:17 Image of day on 31 Jul 2021
Lunchtime another day on we spot her hunting from the dead branches of a really old
Apple tree in the 'Orchard'. For some reason she is much more tolerant of humans
in the garden below than elsewhere.
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Ref: 20210731_d72_20210627_1217_030 kestrel female hunting from branch of apple tree in orchard(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Sep 2020
at 17:02 Image of day on 09 Nov 2020
The behaviour of this female Kestrel suggests that this is the bird we
Christened 'Grey Feather', even though the result of her moult seems to have
produced a normal set of tail feathers. Here she is on one of her favourite
perches on a protruding dead branch of an old apple tree.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20201109_d73_20200924_1702_023 kestrel female hunting from dead branch dives onto prey behind pond 1 of 4 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jul 2020
at 15:26 Image of day on 20 Aug 2020
A 3 hours later we find her at another regular spot, perched on the end of the gutter
at the south-west corner of the house.
She may look more elegant to us on the branches, but from her point of view it's just
somewhere to watch for unwary rodents below.
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Ref: 20200820_d73_20200715_1526_125 kestrel female hunting from house gutter at sw corner(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Jun 2021
at 16:25 Image of day on 01 Aug 2021
After closely spaced return visits to old haunts around our patch, the female
kestrel has settled to her more normal hunting pattern where we see her on just
2 or 3 days a week.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210801_d73_20210630_1625_108+1624_103 kestrel female hunting from mains cable (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jul 2020
at 11:42 Image of day on 20 Aug 2020
The Local female Kestrel perched in her favourite spots in the garden on
one of the dead branches of an old apple tree.
Face and Profile views a few seconds apart, 'artistically' montaged.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200820_d73_20200715_1142_085+087 kestrel female hunting from old apple tree 1+2 of 2 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jun 2022
at 14:08 Image of day on 13 Aug 2022
Our other regular Raptor visitor is this female Kestrel 'Grey Feather' who has
returned to some of her old haunts. Here she is hunting from a dead branch on an
old apple tree ignoring the photographer perhaps 10 metres away.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220813_df3_20220624_1408_044-1411_055 kestrel female hunting from orchard apple tree 1-4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Nov 2020
at 10:21 Image of day on 21 Dec 2020
Every week or two the local female kestrel spends a day or two hunting around our patch.
We don't see any regular pattern to where she hunts and preens though she has her
favourite haunts.
This time she is first spotted on the mains cables supplying the house.
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Ref: 20201221_d73_20201115_1021_045 kestrel female hunting from overhead mains cables(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Nov 2020
at 10:28 Image of day on 21 Dec 2020
The female Kestrel hasn't moved from the above pic, but the cameraman moved to the
other side of the wire for a less back-lit image.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20201221_d73_20201115_1028_061+1027_055+059 kestrel female hunting from overhead mains cables (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jan 2021
at 14:41 Image of day on 17 Feb 2021
Sitting in the living room we saw 'our' female Kestrel Whizz by the Window to loop
round and perch on the Ash tree on the main pond island for a couple of minutes.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20210217_df5_20210121_1441_011+013+1442_017 kestrel female hunting from perch in ash tree on main pond island 1+2+3 of 3 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Jan 2021
at 10:01 Image of day on 01 Feb 2021
The local female Kestrel on the top of our mains electricity pole.
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Ref: 20210201_d73_20210103_1001_084 kestrel female hunting from top of drenched wooden mains power pole(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Apr 2022
at 15:02 Image of day on 07 May 2022
This female Kestrel was on the wooden power pole at out south boundary.
She got interested in something in the grass margin outside, and dived
down out of sight.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220507_df3_20220408_1502_040-043 kestrel female hunting from wooden power pole 1-4 of 6 (accurate montage @7fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Apr 2020
at 16:18 Image of day on 25 Apr 2020
Next day, the same female Kestrel was again hunting insects in flight.
The dot below the Talons of the top bird is the insect, in a claw by the next frame and being
brought forward to the beak in the bottom image.
We photographed about 5 instances on this day, but could only find a convincing insect in this one.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200425_d73_20200408_1618_127+129+131 kestrel female hunting insects in flight 1+3+5 of 5 (montage impression)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Jun 2020
at 12:46 Image of day on 13 Jul 2020
Walking back up the access track found the local female Kestrel perched deep in an
overhanging tree to hunt. When she realised that we could not 'go away' she flew to
the top right corner of the front of the house where she perched on the end of the
gutter.
"Those humans just won't stop 'following' me - top of the concrete power pole it is!"
We managed to get indoors without disturbing her again.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200713_d73_20200610_1246_010-1251_043 kestrel female hunting near house 1+3-5 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2021
at 12:30 Image of day on 04 Jan 2022
After a failed hunting attempt the female Kestrel flies to this branch where she stays
for a couple of minutes intently studying the ground.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220104_df3_20211128_1230_094 kestrel female hunts + kills + eats rodent 01 of 23 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2021
at 12:32 Image of day on 04 Jan 2022
She suddenly dives down onto the grass path behind the pond.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220104_df3_20211128_1232_112-128 kestrel female hunts + kills + eats rodent 05+08+09+11 of 23 (impression montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2021
at 12:35 Image of day on 04 Jan 2022
Read this sequence bottom upwards.
We could just see movement as she smothered her prey (only a blurred brown
on camera) before flying upwards and off towards the Black Poplars along
the access track.
If you look carefully at the insert to the top image you can just see her capture
(it looks to us like a Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse)) grasped in one foot.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220104_df3_20211128_1235_137+141+145 kestrel female hunts + kills + eats rodent 12-14 of 23 (bottom up montage + rodent insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Nov 2021
at 12:36 Image of day on 04 Jan 2022
She fortuitously chooses a branch on one of the Black Poplars to consume
her prize. The various angles reflect the photographers efforts to find better
angles to view the activity through the hedge and against the sun.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220104_df3_20211128_1236_155-1238_197 kestrel female hunts + kills + eats rodent 15+16+20+21 of 23 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Mar 2021
at 14:57 Image of day on 08 Apr 2021
The female Kestrel hovering in flight doesn't lead to a successful hunt, so she
perches in a grass-side overgrown hedging plant and spent a few minutes intently
watching the grass. She suddenly launches down out of sight from the window, but
creeping out finds a viewpoint of her ripping to bits what looks like a Rodent.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20210408_df3_20210313_1457_137+142+1458_151 kestrel female hunts back garden & catches rodent in grass 70+74+80 of 82 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Mar 2021
at 14:52 Image of day on 08 Apr 2021
This Kestrel suddenly appears a few metres from one of the windows hunting in
a hover over what passes for our 'Lawn'.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210408_df3_20210313_1452_064 kestrel female hunts outside conservatory & catches rodent in grass 32 of 82 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 13 Mar 2021
at 14:52 Image of day on 08 Apr 2021
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20210408_df3_20210313_1452_084 kestrel female hunts outside conservatory & catches rodent in grass 45 of 82 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
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