Kestrals

If you drive around our new neighborhood in Daybreak, Utah, you will notice numerous streets named for the robin-sized hawk known as the American Kestral. As a bird-lover, I was anxious to see one by it took a while since: from a distance, they look like any other medium sized bird; they are fairly shy (especially camera shy, more about that in a bit); and their population is in decline as the human population grows. I eventually became adept at spotting them, usually perched on the top of a lamp post or the uppermost branches of a small tree. Having spotted them, I naturally wanted to get a good photograph.

That’s where the camera shy part came in. When I decided to take my walks sans camera (or simply forgot it, as old guys do) I nearly always saw a Kestral, perched somewhere perfect for a photo. But if I had my camera along, there wasn’t a Kestral to be found. It was starting to give me a Kestral Komplex. Yesterday, I went down to my favorite walking trail. I usuallly sit and read or meditate for a while before walking. When I looked up there was a robin sized bird in the top a a nearby tree, not, however, nearby enough to be sure it was a Kestral. Naturally, my camera was in the trunk and I was sure that when I got out to get it, he’d leave. But apparently, it was his favorite hunting tree. Through my camera’s zoom lens, he was clearly a Kestral and just as clearly, he was too busy hunting to worry about me. I got several nice shots of him.

• 

• 

• 

Explore posts in the same categories: nature, photography

Tags: birding, kestrals, nature, photography

You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.