I suddenly realized all the finches and towhees had left the yard.
Why?
American Kestrel in the ‘hood.
© Tracy Abell 2011
As I snapped photo after photo, a few brave finches perched on the wires above,
and a squirrel ran along the fence behind the kestrel.
They aren’t exactly interacting, but it’s a peaceful coexistence.
We should all do so well.
Tracy Abell 
What a gorgeous bird!
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Kestrels are very beautiful. S(he) came back just now and I’ve posted another pic. Frontal shot this time!
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Great pic of his curved beak 🙂
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Yes, it’s always a bonus when you get a bird of prey’s beak in profile. Gives the photo a little oomph.
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Ooh! Pretty!
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Isn’t it gorgeous? And it came back and I just posted another shot.
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It looks like he’s enjoying the sunshine. I love kestrels.
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Do you see them where you live? You’re in Maine, right? Or somewhere in the northeast. My Sibley says they’re all over the country but I don’t remember seeing any until I moved to Colorado.
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beautiful picture!! We should learn a thing or two from animals.
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We could learn a few things from animals. The bird is back and there are NO birds around now. Maybe they sense an absolute hunger they don’t want to tempt.
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Oh he is gorgeous! Cassie says thank you!
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You’re welcome, Cassie. The kestrel came back and I just posted another pic.
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I absolutely love kestrels! I haven’t seen one in the wild in ages. Thanks for sharing!
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Then I’m glad I shared it with you, Debbi. The kestrel came back and I just posted one more pic if you need another fix.
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What a great shot! I love the way his head is turned so you can see the beak. Also love the soft feathers. And the tree limbs.
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He (she?) was doing lots of preening yesterday in the sunshine so the feathers were fluffed out. I just got another shot of the kestrel on the wire and there was no grooming today. Just looking around, wondering where all the little birds had gone.
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That is such a gorgeous bird! I didn’t know we had anything like that in Colorado. (Even though we have lots of beautiful birds.) Nice photograph. 😀
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My guide book says kestrels are all around the country but I never saw one until moving to Colorado. Keep your eyes peeled, it might visit your neighborhood!
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Beautiful! It makes me wonder what bird of prey was eating a smaller bird in our tree out back the other day. I thought of you. 🙂
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It warms my heart that you think of me when watching a bird of prey eat a smaller bird, Lorraine. 🙂
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