Wednesday, April 17, 2013

American Kestrel (and ducks)...

 We've been in and out of the barns lately with the snow and cold here.  The baby calves keep coming at a steady pace so the corrals and barns have become a busy work hub.  As the guys were going through the barn, they mentioned a "peculiar bird" that they had seen.  Later on, Hubs said he found the bird dead in the feed bunk.  He left it there in case I wanted to go look at it.  This is an American Kestrel.  It's a beautiful, small falcon that summers up north.  I rarely see one, but here he is!  I imagine this fella was swooping around the barn rafters after small birds and literally knocked himself out.

Doesn't it have a pretty speckled breast?

The color of the wings is a blue-gray and the body is a rusty-red.  I like the white dots on the black feathers.  Bright orange color is found on the eye and the nose, and his legs are the same color.

I have read that the sexes of this bird look just alike so there is no distinction between them.  His neat, little, hooked beak is good for tearing and eating insects and small reptiles.

Back at the pond, we find the ducks walking on water.  The pond has gone from ice to slush to liquid as the temperatures change from nighttime lows in the teens to daytime highs in the 30s.  The Northern Shovelers work hard to keep their little spot open, but sometimes it freezes up on them despite all their paddling feet can do.

This picture is not very clear, but I wanted to show you the slushy duck trail in the water.  They are a determined bunch.  I love their sweet swimming call, "Sup, sup, sup, sup."  It makes me think they are talking about supper, which in a way, they are.  They shovel up their food as they swim along.

Are you seeing any migrating birds?  Do tell.

13 comments:

  1. Oh, so sad he is dead, but it is also a rare treat to get to see his beauty up close. Thanks for sharing this with us. It is amazing to me the intricacies God designed into his creatures and I never tire of seeing his handiwork.

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  2. What a beautiful bird. The details on the wings and body are so amazing. What a great creator we have...

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  3. The kestrel is very beautiful, and I'm sorry he is dead. How wonderful though, that you could capture his beauty on film! I don't notice birds, and changing bird populations, as I should. I do know we have a dove in our back woods lately. I hear him in the late afternoon outside our bedroom window.

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  4. What a beautiful bird. How sad that he died.

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  5. Oh, to be as disciplined as a Northern Shoveler!

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  6. The kestrel was beautiful. I agree with you about his neat beak.

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  7. Jody, it's so beautiful and easy to see why it's a bird of prey.

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  8. Beautiful bird indeed! So sad that he died though.Oh the ducks! They ARE very determined. Hopefully soon they won't have to work quite so hard. I heard a wonderful bird call at dusk yesterday. I couldn't figure out who it belonged to though. Our cedar waxwings are back which is neat to hear. I love their tse tse tse call. They're such mysterious birds.

    Blessings!
    Deborah

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  9. What a beautiful bird. I loved seeing him up close.

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  10. Awww, poor bird -- he's gorgeous. How lucky to be able to examine him up close. And those poor ducks. They're probably wondering what is wrong with Mother Nature this year. Funny, we're thinking along the same lines -- I've just posted about a bird too!

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  11. Beautiful bird! Poor guy, though. I'm starting to see some birds that strike me as new to the neighborhood. I need to get out my book and find out who they are. Every morning on my walk I'm surrounded by all sorts of bird song. Lovely!

    xofrances

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  12. Do you live in Montana? Montana girl just posted about a American Kestrel that was hit by a car, she took pictures off it as it was sitting still for. Bit of course ... it was very dazed and flew away. I wondered if it was going to be okay . A coincedence that this kestrel shows up in your post I really had wondered if he would fly away and then later pass as she said he slammed himself pretty bad... so wondered if you lived near Montana Girl?

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  13. Such a beautiful bird.......poor thing:( We have birds flying into our windows during the winter. Only had one or two die though.

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