It is hard to hike in the mountains and not be consumed by the beautiful peaks surrounding you ... but on this particular hike (not to take away from the mountain peaks) our attention was drawn to a sight that was, in reality, the highlight of our day.
This is a Eurasian (European) Kestrel(Falco Tinnunculus) female hunting on the mountain side that we were hiking. They are amazing to watch because they hover, like a helicopter, in one place until they spot prey, then they dive down in a flash to snatch it. This Kestrel looks exactly like the American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius) except they are more than twice the size.
The Eurasian Kestrel on the left and the American Kestrel on the right (both females)
This beauty swooped, hovered and flew around us for about 15 minutes. We never saw her catch anything, though she did go to the ground several times. We were mesmerized the whole time plus it gave me a chance to catch my breath ... Photography is good for many reasons:)
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I would have loved to use a gif for a group of the hovering shots, but the gif that I have been using no longer seems to work ... if any of you know of a good gif link, I would be most appreciative :) Have a Great WBW ...
24 comments:
nice to see the size difference! didn't know that!
Great shots and birds.
Great photos! Love the "fan" tail!
They're a special bird and great to see the comparison.
Awesome series on the Kestrel. The American Kestrel looks very small. Thanks for sharing, great post.
Oh my. What a heart stirring (and soul healing) thing to see. Thank you for sharing the magic.
HI Andrea Great post with this wonderful bird.
Oh, Andrea! Those photos are stunning and what a special treat to see such a magnificent bird. Your photos make me think how wonderful flying must be! :) xo Silke
Lovely soaring shots!
What a wonderful series, Andrea, and a wonderful bird!! Thank you so much for sharing. I do love your photos!! Hope your week is going well!!
That is a big size difference - I didn't know about that! I wonder how the Australian Kestrel compares?
Glad you paused long enough to truly get to know the bird and take such lovely shots!
So much smaller but oh so very similar.
And the group of photos you shared with all the inflight of these magnificent falcons.........stunning!
Great shots of the Kestrel in flight against the light.
'Love a hovering kestrel! Post again if you sort the gif thing (I'm no help to you!)
They are indeed great birds to watch for sure!
What beautiful shots of the Kestrel. The difference in sizes is quite interesting. What about the smaller birds? Are their birds the same as ours? Are the squirrels the same? I know that in the U.S. some squirrels are different colors depending on what part of the country they live in.
Today is a lovely Fall day, but I think we'll stay in and get a few things done indoors. Later I'm hoping to go yarn shopping with DIL Janet. Goodness knows, I can always use more yarn. haha. Right now, I'm watching QVC shopping channel and enjoying all the new ideas they have for this holiday season.
Pogo is out in the pantry barking, so I guess I'll have to go see who's out there. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
Beautiful flight shots ...just breathtaking ( while giving you time to catch your breath at the same time). Interesting about the size difference too.
Goodness there is a bit of a size difference there for sure. This was a wonderful series of shots, it was like watching her dancing in the air.
How amazingly beautiful! What a fantastic group of shots! Loved this series so much! I also enjoyed seeing the comparison in the two kinds of kestrels.
so lovely against the blue of the sky and the brightness of some sun through feathers...
Such a beautiful bird. The series of flight shots is wonderful.
Exciting and beautiful!!
Gorgeous birds. Interesting to see the size difference.
loved t osee the difference in size of both birds. And the flight shots area amazing. :)
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