The kestrels have kids too!

[khiemtran]

As regular readers would know, there's a pair of nankeen kestrels who live and hunt near my office, and I've been taking pictures of them over the last year. Well, just this week, I started seeing three nankeen kestrels, all at the same time.



This was something of a mystery, as up until now, I was convinced that the two I was seeing were either juvenile siblings or a mother and child. That is because male adult kestrels are supposed to have a grey cap, which none of them exhibited. Adult females and juveniles of both genders look quite similar, which juveniles having slightly more red on their breast. I think this is an adult female.



While this one appears to be a genuine juvenile. It was definitely behaving like a juvenile, making a lot of noise and apparently begging for food.



Here then, is either a mother and daughter, or two juveniles together. The one on the right came up to hassle the one on the left, which was sitting calmly looking for prey, and then promptly fell off when it tried to perch on the end of the branch.



While this one is definitely an adult male! The first time I've ever sighted one. So, now it's clear that there are at least two adults and either one or two juveniles.



Mother and child have abandoned the branch and are looking elsewhere for food.



Although from this angle, I'm not really sure which is which...



In all the excitement, I lost track of where each bird went. But at least one found a victim shortly afterwards...

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Such handsome birds, kestrels!

Those are some wonderful action shots.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

They really are gorgeous birds! I guess the younger ones will be moving on soon, but it's nice to finally see them all together, especially the elusive dad...

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Now I know that the kestrel I used to see around our old place was a female, assuming common kestrels have the same coloring as the nankeen. :D

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Very cool! They are great birds to watch... I actually you to see them all the time when I was growing up, hovering over the fields and flood plains looking for food.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Wow wow wow! Adolescent kites AND kestrels.

That first solo bird may be the mother, but the body language says sulky teen.

The shots of the kestrels in flight--amazing.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I was very lucky that morning. I love the first shot of those two tumbling together.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

What everyone else says: amazing shots.

(I need to remind myself again to look more at the sky...)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

It's a very rewarding pastime...