The American Kestrel

Telephone wires running parallel to country roads are good places to spot the American Kestrel. This colorful falcon likes to perch above fields, meadows, and other open spaces to hunt large insects, small rodents, birds, or amphibians (find more specifics at Animal Diversity Web, hosted by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology). I saw one just the other day while driving in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

Pictured here is a beautiful photo (by Dave Menke) of a colorful male. I saw a female, whose wings are russet, not blue. Yet her dark facial stripes (common to both males and females) made the identification easy . . . once I pulled over to the side of the road and aimed my binoculars. Ha!

If you want to see more birds each day of your life, two bits of advice: ALWAYS carry binoculars in your car and ALWAYS pull over to the roadside to use them (or ask the driver to do so). Of course, birds don’t like the attention and will quickly fly off, but you might manage a quick glimpse. Once the bird takes flight, lower your binoculars and study its silhouette and flight pattern against the sky. These, too, are the bird’s “signatures,” ways to identify him or her the next time you’re presented the opportunity.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne