White Rock lake, Winfrey Point
4 part behavior series
Photo 1: Mr. Kestrel On A Wire
Found the male kestrel perched on the wire, got as close as I dared and took his photo. He is so pretty. Wished he would turn around.
Photo 2: Something Catches His Attention
While I had him in the view of my camera, he suddenly turned and got very interested in something to his left. Before I could see what it was, he disappeared from view. I looked up from the camera, saw what was happening and hurried to where he now was, trying not to make sudden movements to scare him.
Photo 3: Carpe Diem
The female kestrel had lit on the wire down from him & he had instantly flown over and hopped on top of her. This was the only shot I got of the mating action because it literally lasted all of 25 seconds & part of that was me moving to where they now were. My first time to see kestrels mating. No courting involved, very much a wham bam event.
Photo 4: 25 Seconds Later
This was my next click after the mating shot. It was all over that quick. Right after this shot they both flew off in different directions. Glad I captured the moment, if I had blinked I would have missed it.
The doves around here show up fairly regularly and I’m pretty sure we have a few pairs around though no more than two are often seen at a time