Backyard and Beyond

I walked by the Kestrel perch the next day, on the off-chance he would be there. Nope. But I was on a round-trip errand, so when I returned, there he was. Not the same branch, but the same linden.
This time I was on the avenue, meaning rather closer to his height on the tree that stemmed up from the slope below. There is quite the valley, I mean for Brooklyn, between 35th and 36th Streets, the dip in the even larger one between the 20s and 40s on 5th Avenue. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a stream somewhere underground there, running towards the bay.
I observed from the other side of the fence for some 20 minutes. Then he took off with a spring upwards. Flew northwards, cut sharply eastward into the cemetery until I could no longer see him.

That touch of red streaking on the top of the head….

Yesterday, I heard a Kestrel while I was working. Looking outside, I saw a male, perhaps this same one (it’s about seven blocks to the tree), perched on an old TV antenna. HE made two dives down onto a roof. I think he may have captured something, because coming back up to the antenna, he bent his bill down to his toes a couple times, as if eating. But what was for lunch??? Then he flew off to yet another derelict TV antenna across the street, then up to some other type of antenna to perch for several minutes. I doubt anybody has a working TV antenna anymore (not to be confused with the dish antennas that also sprout from many a roof here). So they just jut there, accidental perches for colorful little falcons.