I was thrilled yesterday morning to spot an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It’s pretty rare for me to see this beautiful little falcon and the lighting was good enough for me to see some of its wonderful colors and patterns. From the photos that I have seen on-line, I think this is a female—males have wings that are slate blue in color.
I was also able to watch it hunting for a little while over a distant field. A kestrel hovers in mid-air as it searches for prey below. Although the kestrel dove low a couple of times, I did not see it catch anything.
Both times that I have seen a kestrel, it has been perched in the same tree and I plan to return there regularly during my treks through the wildlife refuge.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That’s an exciting find, Mike. The way these birds hover when they hunt is fascinating to watch.
If there are Kestrels here, I have never seen one. It appears from your splendid photo that they are rather small. The markings on the female are interesting. I know that Benjamin will enjoy this little falcon’s photo on Monday. As for myself, I am going to do some research about Kestrels. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
They are indeed pretty small, about the size of a mourning dove according to what I read somewhere. Although they are considered to be raptors. I think I read that they are more closely related to parrots than to hawks and eagles.
Kestrels are wonderful birds. Despite being the smallest falcon, they’re a bundle of energy and beauty. I just learned that they used to be called sparrow hawks; that’s a name I’m familiar with. They’re both resident and migratory here, but apparently so common that I ought to be able to find one now — if I’m lucky!
My own experience is that they tend to prefer certain perches. The two I’ve seen always have been in the same trees, or very close by.
Good luck finding one. When I first started photographing wildlife, I learned that “common” is a relative term–many of the “common” species are really tough to spot. 🙂
Pretty soon these guys will be obscured by the leaves. Getting great shots while you can, Mike.
We see new kestrels fairly regularly in the summer where I live in central Colorado, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy to photograph. Lovely picture of one of my favorite birds.
Thanks. I love the look of the kestrels, but so far have only seen one a few times. As for photographing them, I tried to catch this one while it was flying about and was not very successful. With a little luck, I’ll have more opportunities in the near future.