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~ a celebration of nature

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Tag Archives: Kestrel

K is for Kestrel

16 Thursday Dec 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Kestrel

Though I’m lucky enough to see Kestrels quite frequently when I walk the footpaths along the coast and through local farmland, I don’t often manage to photograph them, and the Kestrel has only starred once in this year’s blogs, quite recently with a co-starring Buzzard in BoPs. A few days after that post however, I spotted this bird during a walk around Cardiff Bay and was pleased to get this image of a decidedly urban Kestrel.

211216 kestrel

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BoPs

25 Thursday Nov 2021

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birds of prey, birdwatching, British birds, Buzzard, Kestrel

Tuesday’s walk brought two encounters with birds of prey. First a Buzzard drifted overhead and, not long afterwards, I clocked a Kestrel hovering close by. It always amazes me that these birds have such incredible eyesight that they can spot lunch on the ground from high in the sky.

211125 buzzard211125 kestrel

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283/366 Kestrel

09 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by sconzani in birds

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birding, birds of prey, birdwatching, British birds, Falco tinnunculus, Kestrel

I don’t know if this Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is an inexperienced youngster or simply confident in its ability to escape my attentions, but it is certainly one of the most confiding birds of prey I’ve encountered.

201009 kestrel (3)

While it was taking a break from hunting over the local farm fields, I managed to get very close to its perch and, even when circling the fields, it flew quite near to me, resulting in probably my best flight photos to date.

201009 kestrel (2)

There are two resident Kestrels in these coastal fields but this one can immediately be identified by its wonky wing feather, which, fortunately, doesn’t seem to make the slightest difference to its aerial agility.

201009 kestrel (1)

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235/365 Phenomenal flying

23 Friday Aug 2019

Posted by sconzani in 365DaysWildin2019, birds, nature

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birding, birds, birdwatching, British birds, Kestrel, Kestrel hovering

When my friend Jill and I returned to her car after our walk to Rottingdean Windmill last week, we were treated to the sight of a Kestrel hunting for food in the meadow immediately in front of the carpark. After one unsuccessful plunge down into the grass, it retreated to a fencepost.

190823 kestrel (1)

But, within minutes, it was airborne once again, and even closer to us this time. What always amazes me with Kestrels is how, even in very strong and gusty winds, they manage to keep their heads perfectly still so as to focus on their potential prey. Their flying skills are phenomenal.

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The windhover

10 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, hoverhawk, hovering Kestrel, Kestrel, stand hawk, wind bivver, wind fanner, windfucker, windhover

Most of my sightings of Kestrels have been of birds rapidly beating their wings to maintain their incredibly static position in the air as they watch intently for the small mammals they prey on, and this ability to remain almost stationary is the reason for some of their many vernacular names: windhover and windfucker, hoverhawk, wind bivver, wind fanner and stand hawk. (This series of stills was taken recently of a Kestrel doing just that at Lavernock Nature Reserve.)

181110 kestrel (1)
181110 kestrel (2)
181110 kestrel (3)
181110 kestrel (4)

I was particularly delighted, then, during our recent birding trip to Portland, to do a little hovering of my own – albeit at ground level – as I edged ever closer to a Kestrel that was taking a short break from its almost constant hunting and sheltering from the gusting northerlies on a nearby roof top. What a stunning bird it is!

181110 kestrel (5)

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Birding on Portland

01 Thursday Nov 2018

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

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birding, birding on Portland, birdwatching, British birds, Chesil Beach, Fieldfare, Kestrel, Portland Bill, Portland Bird Observatory, Rock pipit, Stonechat

From Lodmoor we continued on towards Portland, stopping for a scan through the few birds on the water and shore at Ferry Bridge (but there wasn’t a lot of be seen) and for a wander through the quarries looking for the reported Ring ouzels at The Verne (turns out we were in the wrong place but the Stonechats were nice to see). Friday ended with us all settled in our rooms at the Obs (Portland Bird Observatory) and off for a meal at The Pulpit Inn.

181101 birding Portland (1)

181101 birding Portland (2)

Saturday was our day for birding around Portland but the weather really was against us on this year’s trip. The strong freezing northerlies and clear skies meant most migrating birds were being driven on above our heads, rather than being caught in the nets at the Obs or stopping over somewhere on the island to refuel.

181101 birding Portland (3)181101 birding Portland (4)

With nothing much happening on the sea or in the Obs garden, we had a wander down to the Bill and along the shore. Rock pipits, pied wagtails and a confiding Kestrel were about all we found there – no Purple sandpipers to be seen.

181101 birding Portland (5)181101 birding Portland (6)

From the Obs, we drove to Pennsylvannia and walked down the track to Church Ope Cove, checking all the while for the Yellow-browed warblers that had been seen there – no luck, unfortunately, but it was a lovely walk, with stunning views, and we did see some Stonechats.

181101 birding Portland (7)

Another walk took us between the various quarries and past the remains of windmills to The Hump, where Yellow-browed warblers had also been reported. Once again we lucked out … but saw more Stonechats!

181101 birding Portland (8)

Having walked back to the cars, we drove on to The Verne, to look once again (in the right place this time) for the Ring ouzels, but they remained elusive. It was another good walk though, with more cracking views, out over the sea and along the coast over Chesil Beach.

181101 birding Portland (9)

After a second look at Ferry Bridge (our first Knot of the trip spotted through the ’scopes), it was back to the Obs for the night and another meal, amidst much banter and laughter, at The Pulpit, though not before we indulged in a spot of Short-eared owl watching in the fields across the road from the Obs itself. Three birds seen flying – superb!

181101 birding Portland (10)

My first Fieldfare of the season in the Obs garden

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Birding at Maiden Castle

29 Monday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

≈ 2 Comments

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Corn bunting, Glamorgan Bird Club, Golden plover, Kestrel, Maiden Castle

This past Friday to Sunday was the annual Glamorgan Bird Club long weekend trip to Portland Bird Observatory, and my second visit to the fascinating island of Portland. But first the trip down …

181029 birding at maiden castle (1)

Eleven of us left south Wales in various car-share combinations and via various routes to meet up around 10am at Maiden Castle, just outside of Dorchester. The ‘castle’ is, of course, not a castle but rather an ancient Iron Age hillfort, one of the largest in Europe.

181029 birding at maiden castle (3)

I still haven’t managed to explore the site itself, as our primary reason for meeting there is because we’re almost certain to see a Corn bunting, a bird we don’t get in Wales so it’s a year tick for most of us and a lifer for some. (You’ll need to believe me when I say that the small brown blob sitting on the fence is a Corn bunting.)

181029 birding at maiden castle (2)

Sitting in the field adjacent to the Maiden Castle carpark were over a hundred Golden plovers, a bird that seems common in this area as we also saw a large flock of them on the 2017 trip.

181029 birding at maiden castle (4)
181029 birding at maiden castle (5)
181029 birding at maiden castle (6)
181029 birding at maiden castle (7)

We were also treated to our first of many Kestrel sightings of the weekend. After a bit of fence-post sitting and some hovering, this beautiful little bird plunged down to the earth in a nearby field, having apparently caught something. It fluttered about several times, as if its prey was still alive and trying to escape and the Kestrel was having trouble subduing it.

181029 birding at maiden castle (8)

My long lens wasn’t quite long enough to identify the victim but, whatever it was, it seems it may have been too large and/or heavy for the Kestrel to carry as the bird eventually flew off empty-clawed.

181029 birding at maiden castle (9)

Soon afterwards – though probably unrelated – something spooked the Golden plovers and they treated us to a wonderful display of formation flying before settling again further off. And that was our cue also to head off, to our next stop en route to Portland.

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Birding at Ogmore and Pant Norton

11 Thursday Oct 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, walks, wildflowers

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Buttonweed, Cormorant, Curlew, Glamorgan Bird Club, Kestrel, Musk thistle, Ogmore, Pant Norton, Portobello House, Stonechat, The Pant, Wall butterfly, Wigeon

Though a cool wind was blowing in off the sea, yesterday was a gloriously sunny day for our Glamorgan Bird Club outing to Ogmore. The fine weather also meant we had a great turn out of 26 people, more than usual for our field trips.

181011 Ogmore birding (1)

We started off near Portobello House, scanning the dunes of Merthyr Mawr and checking the River Ogmore, where the ubiquitous Cormorants were adorning this big dead tree in the water.

181011 Ogmore birding (2)

A Kestrel hovered over the dunes, and we witnessed a spectacular chase by a Sparrowhawk after a Meadow pipit – only very blurry photos of that, unfortunately. (The mipit escaped.)

181011 Ogmore birding (3)
181011 Ogmore birding (4)

Two Wigeon flew in to join the Canada geese, Mallards and gulls up river.

181011 Ogmore birding (5)

After grazing along the muddy banks down river for a time, this Curlew flew upstream to find another place to feed.

181011 Ogmore birding (6)
181011 Ogmore birding (7)

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, our birding trips are not just about birds. Many birders are also interested in flora and other fauna so, yesterday, Dave was able to point out to us the invasive Buttonweed (Cotula coronopifolia) (he was the first to spot this plant in Wales!) and a Musk thistle (Carduus nutans). And another of our keen-eyed birders spotted this Wall butterfly, only the second time I’ve seen one of these beauties.

181011 Ogmore birding (8)181011 Ogmore birding (9)

After a wander up and down the riverbank we headed across the road and up a track into a series of small valleys, an area known locally as The Pant. As well as many other small birds, there were several Stonechats popping up and down in the shrubs and bracken.

181011 Ogmore birding (10)

And then, what for me was the highlight of the day, really close views of a Kestrel hunting for its lunch. This handsome young male caught three creatures – probably voles or other small mammals – in the space of 10 minutes or so. It was incredible to watch how this bird’s amazing eyesight enabled it to hone in so accurately on its prey and, though I can’t help but have some sympathy for its victims, to see what an efficient hunter the Kestrel truly is.

181011 Ogmore birding (11)181011 Ogmore birding (12)

My total number of species for the day was 41: Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Little Grebe, Little Egret, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Eurasian Curlew, Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Skylark, Long-tailed Tit, Common Chiffchaff, Wren, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, European Stonechat, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Bullfinch and Willow Warbler.
I must have wandered off when these birds were seen: Greenfinch, Stock Dove, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook, Raven, Goldcrest and Dunnock.

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Birding at Rhossili and Mewslade

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by sconzani in birds, insects, nature, walks

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, Glamorgan Bird Club, Grayling, Great black-backed gull, Kestrel, Linnet, Rhossili, Small tortoiseshell, The Worm

Yesterday was my second visit to Rhossili with my friends from the Glamorgan Bird Club, though I still haven’t walked along this magnificent beach.

180702 1 Rhossili beach

Our group of 15 met in the National Trust car park at Rhossili, then slowly meandered along the cliff tops towards the point, birding as we walked.

180702 2 Heading towards the worm

I saw my first Choughs, Fulmars were spotted gliding majestically below us, and a Great black-backed gull flew in and landed on a headland.

180702 3 Great black-backed gull
180702 4 Great black-backed gull

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, here I also saw my first Grayling butterflies. The first, pictured here on a discarded Coke bottle, was spotted by eagle-eyed Tate, and the second by another birder, Rob.

180702 5 Grayling
180702 6 Grayling

At the point, we enjoyed superb views, and the last of the bright sunny weather, while eating our lunch. Then, despite the rain starting, 11 of our intrepid team headed across the causeway to The Worm, where their scrambling and climbing and drenching were rewarded with views of Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and Manx shearwaters.

180702 7 Crossing to The Worm

Three of us chose, instead, to do the circular walk around the headland, seeing lots of Linnets and Meadow pipits in the fields, a Kestrel hovering in search of prey, and two lovely fresh-looking Small tortoiseshell butterflies.

180702 8 Linnet

180702 9 Small tortoiseshell
180702 10 Small tortoiseshell

After some of the team returned from The Worm, four of us went for a brief visit to nearby Mewslade, a beautiful little valley that runs down to a sheltered cove. Here we had incredibly close views of a Lesser whitethroat feeding young, spotted two very yellow-faced Great tit fledglings in an area of burnt gorse, and watched more Choughs and another Kestrel flying through. It was yet another superb field trip with my bird club friends.

180702 11 Kestrel

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Birding at Portland

23 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, Cormorant, Dorset coastline, Gannet, Glamorgan Bird Club, Kestrel, Little owl, Portland, Portland Bird Observatory, Portland stone

One more birding blog from my wonderful weekend at the Portland Bird Observatory and then no more about Portland … till next year.

171023 Portland Bird Observatory (3)171023 Portland lighthouse

In case you don’t know, Portland is sort of an island – it is actually connected to the mainland – but it looks for all the world like a small island jutting out into the English Channel. It’s where the famous Portland stone (used to build such landmarks as St Paul’s Cathedral in London) comes from, and so the coastline is dramatically rocky and the land is riddled with quarries, many of which are now disused.

171023 Portland coastline (1)171023 Portland coastline (2)

On the Saturday of our long weekend we went for a wonderful walk, along the cliff-top coastal paths and inland through fields, and later in to one of the old quarries. Those with ’scopes spotted some nice seabirds passing by, and gannets, shags, cormorants and various gulls could easily be seen with the naked eye and bins.

171023 Seawatching birders

171023 Cormorants
171023 Gannet

Kestrels were abundant – one sat obligingly on top of a post (though shooting in to a bright sky didn’t make for good photos) and I managed to get a reasonable fly-by shot.

171023 Kestrel (2)
171023 Kestrel (1)

As well as seeing Stonechats, Meadow pipits, a Whinchat, Wheatears and large flocks of Goldfinches and Linnets, we also disturbed a family of Pheasants (mum, dad and two kids) in one of the fields.

171023 Pheasants

And the resident Little owl popped out of its hidey hole in a local quarry for a short time early on Sunday morning, though, again, the light was not the best for photography.

171023 Little owl

All up the group total for the weekend was 117 species seen or heard. At 82, my personal total was a bit lower but it’s the quality, not the quantity that counts – of those 82, 15 were lifers, birds I’d never seen before – and that’s a pretty impressive total for just three days’ birding!

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About me

sconzani

sconzani

I'm a writer and photographer; researcher and blogger; birder and nature lover; countryside rambler and city strider; volunteer and biodiversity recorder.

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