The things we do . . . for a kestrel! (1 Viewer)

I had seen a kestrel a number of times not far from my house. Once, I thought but wasn't sure, I saw him flying away from a tree in my backyard, another time just across the road in a tree.

Today we came from Adelaide and on the way home we saw a bop hovering over a field. We parked the car at the side of the road, the bird settled on a powerpole not too far away.

I snapped a couple of quick shots, one of them in my gallery . A couple of flight photos, not good. I tried to get closer and drove the car further away from the street. The bird kept its distance.

Then - as we wanted to leave - I found that my car was bogged down in the mud, couldn't get out.

Just a couple of days before I had retired my 4WD for the winter and was driving my station wagon. How I regretted that at this moment.

I rang the RAA, they said 1-1.5 hours waiting time. Then after about 20 minute a motorist stopped and towed us out. While I was fixing the rope to my car, the kestrel soared right above us. Duhhhh!

When we were home, I put on the coffee machine and went in another room. When I heard the machine was finished I went in the kitchen and suddenly a kestrel, like the one in the photo, shot away from our partially glassed in verandah, banged in a glasplate, recovered and settled in a tree in my garden.
I ran to get my camera, but when I came back the bird was gone.

Howszat?

Howszat? - Frustration !!!

We're lucky enough to have them as fairly common around these parts though they're low in numbers at the moment. I can never resist trying for a photo of them - provided they will sit still for long enough.

IanF said:

Howszat? - Frustration !!!

We're lucky enough to have them as fairly common around these parts though they're low in numbers at the moment. I can never resist trying for a photo of them - provided they will sit still for long enough.

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They are very common here too, but they seem to be very shy.

I don't have a lot of experience with birds, but my blackshouldered kite and my peregrine falcon sit still for a long time, giving me plenty of time to take some photos and sort myself out. The blackshouldered kite lets me come as close as about 10m

I think the Kestrels round here can detect cameras, I have had some brilliant views of them but never when I have my camera and todays view was the best ever, I was standing on the cliff top and about 20 feet away in front of me was a Kestrel hovering in the updraught we where allmost eyeball to eyeball, amazing but no camera, such is life.

Mick

Mickymouse said:

I think the Kestrels round here can detect cameras, I have had some brilliant views of them but never when I have my camera and todays view was the best ever, I was standing on the cliff top and about 20 feet away in front of me was a Kestrel hovering in the updraught we where allmost eyeball to eyeball, amazing but no camera, such is life.

Mick

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Maybe they see us pointing something at them and are scared.

With their sharp eyes they would see, that we are looking at them and following them as they move away.

I was walking through my university the other day. It is open campus (York uni) and has loads of birds knocking about. About 5 feet from me there was a blur and then a Kestrel on the ground trying to extract a worm from its hole. Totally ignoring me. I watched until it had gone but alas no camera.