Kestrel

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) doing its hovering-hunting over grasslands. They face the wind, flare their tails, and stiffly beat their wings to hang still as they scan the ground below for movement or signs of prey. Remarkable to see. Especially when a NYPD helicopter is doing something similar nearby. Long-shot… like this raptor’s every drop to the ground for prey. We watched two of these small falcons, the most common in the city, on this trip. Here’s one perched on a post, with a Snowy Owl on the distant right. Unlike their larger cousins the Peregrines, who will dive bomb perched Snowies, Kestrels don’t seem to have any interest in the owls. Probably a wise choice: Snowies weigh over 4 pounds, Kestrels around 4 ounces. A colorful, well-marked bird, with largish head. Blue on the wing means it’s male; the females have wings the same color as their backs, rufus, with dark barring.