Are rare for me to find.
This pair was mating on the rooftops in Alsace France.
Kestrels are a type of falcon that live all over the world.
These were photographed in Canada and France.
Kestrels will hunt and nest in populated areas if prey is available.
They don’t bother building their own nests, preferring to steal other bird nests!
They often hover in mid-air over prey, before dropping to consume them.
Cheers to you from the quite handsome French & Canadian Kestrels~
What beautiful birds! But, it doesn’t seem very nice to steal other birds’ nests.
Lots of birds do this. They take them after they are abandoned, so it is rather polite. Great Horned Owls steal nest from occupying Red Tail Hawks which is rather rude!
They are beautiful birds.
I was surprised to find them hunting and mating amongst the rooftops in France. They usually came around at twilight though so they were hard to photograph.
Some birds are elusive that way as our northern flicker is and they are big birds. For years we only heard their callings but could never see them until one day one landed in the apple tree and they have the most beautiful plumage.
http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/photos/birds/northern_flicker_male_9688np.jpg
I think its the birds that have exceptional coloring in a mainly mono-chromatic environment. They seem to know and be shy. You photo is fabulous!
Pictures don’t do the photo justice of what you see in real life. The bird in the photo appears smaller than what they are.
I know exactly what they are and how hard they are to photograph because they are so shy. I have a few photos, but not as good as yours. Congrats!
Gorgeious birds and photos! 😉 <3
Hugs to you sweet friend~
Huge hugs to you missy❣️😘
<3 <3
Beautiful!
I truly love falcons. So fast, so lethal, and so pretty!
Awww – they’re just French Canadian. 😉
Beautiful. 🙂
Ha!!! Perfect!!!
Kestrels are such cuties. Love the coloring and markings. This brings back memories of when I was taking a female Kestrel out of the rehab center’s aviary for time outside on the glove. It was breeding season, so of course the male kept getting between me and her to prevent me from taking her. Alas, it wasn’t practical for me to take them both out at the same time!
I was super surprised to see the mating. It occurred at falcon speed! How wonderful it must have been for you to work at The Raptor Center! Hugs to you Lynn~
Oh, what beauties!!!!! The color blue is gorgeous and I love the pictures.
They were hard to photograph in France because they only came out at dusk so thank you for appreciating them!
Interesting as always Cindy. I’m sure they don’t get photographed mating too often, you’ve got someting special there! She doesn’t look to happy about it though :/ But given he probably just dropped in on her, it’s understandable x K
Oh for heaven’s sake! You make me laugh so much you hurt my side. I pulled my intercostal muscle a few days ago and laughing is definitely a no-no! Both your comments completely cracked me up. I don’t care it was so worth it! Hugs to you~
sorry about that intercostal muscle! I’ll be more gentle next time 😉
Excellent.
Aww, you are a good friend!
Thanks.
<3
Beautiful!! There are supposed to be a lot of Golden Eagles in Scotland but we didn’t see any, even though we were out in the countryside. Scotland is a beautiful desolate place for them to live though.
Golden Eagles are a thrill to see in the wild, but something I don’t see very often either. I love Scotland, especially the highlands. My grandmother was a Scot. Your trip looks awesome~
Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
Gratitude to you my kind soul from the gorgeous kestrels and from me! Thank you & cheers too~ <3
Oh, I loved these photos. Thank you, Cindy.
I am honored that you do & thank you!
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Lovely pictures of Kestrels by Cindy.
These guys are hard to find sitting still long enough to get their photos. Thank you so much for supporting these amazing creatures!
Beautiful photos, Cindy. I love to see kestrels hover but I’ve ever seen one close up like in your photos. They’re such attractive birds.
They are beautiful and rare for me to actually see sitting still for any length of time. In France they hunted among the rooftops at dusk so the photos were a challenge to take!
I don’t know how you manage to take such wonderful pictures. You have a good eye and a steady hand. 🙂 Your shots of the mandarin ducks were gorgeous.
Even more stunning than usual, Cindy
Awww, honored & humbled. Thank you.
Just beautiful, Cindy 🙂
Merci beaucoup mon ami!
Cindy, your bird pictures are stunning as usual!
Makes me happy I posted. Thank you Alexander & cheers to you!
Wow, magnificent photos! Ah, in France. 🙂
Romance is in the air! Literally! 😉
What a wonderful shot of them mating – how beautiful their babies will be.
I would so love to photograph the chicks. They would be adorable when fledged!
Wouldn’t they? I can just imagine those little balls of fluff.
Beautiful birds.
Aren’t they remarkable! <3
They are beautiful creatures.
Majestic 🙂
Yes! <3
That’s a very noble looking bird. I love the blue of the head feathers and the beak.
Leslie
They are the cutest little predators aren’t they! 😉
Yes they are.
The photos are awesome, Cindy. 🙂
I am honored Ranu. Thank you & be well my friend~
They are so adorable birds.
They look so sweet don’t they!
I love the coloring on these birds. /they are such cute birds.
That is the word that best describes them, cute!
I am continuously amazed at the quality of your photos. I’m right there with them and you. THANK YOU Cindy.
~~dru~~
Aww, I am humbled and honored by your thoughtfulness!
Engaging images that draw me into these stunning portraits.
So thoughtful of you to stop by and say, and most appreciated too!
Fabulous! I once did a paper in college on Kestrels.
What amazing factoids do you remember?
Smallest of the birds of prey, and about the size of a blue jay or smaller. Sometimes called the sparrow hawk. And if I remember right they will nest in barns.
What a gorgeous bird. You’ve captured it beautifully!
They are the most beautiful little raptors. Thank you so much for appreciating them!
I love all creatures and I love all your photos, too. You are an extraordinary photographer.
And you are extraordinarily kind! <3 <3
🙂
Exceedingly handsome! 🙂 –Curt
I know you love raptors just like I do Curt.
They look so cute. It is surprised that they are predators.
Looks can be deceiving. Grizzly Bears look like big teddy bears!
Beautiful captures Cindy! I didn’t realize the males and females were so different … or that they like to put on a show 😉
I learn new things all the time watching birds. It is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.
Your love shows Cindy ❤
Very awesome indeed! I’d say, downright cute!
They are cute little predators, I agree!
You are the bird whisperer!!!
I just love them completely! <3
These are quite fascinating birds of prey, Cindy. I like how you capture so much and diverse in subjects, too. :)💐 xoxo
Thank you Robin. We live in a fascinating world which is a lot to fun to photograph, especially when nice people like you make such kind comments~
I’ve ‘falcon’ in love with these amazing photos. I see them ‘kestrel’ clear, my friend!
·̇·̣̇̇·̣̣̇·̣̇̇·̇*｡(((´♡‿♡`+)))｡*ﾟ• ·̇·̣̇̇·̣̣̇·̣̇̇·̇ •
🦅🦅 ·̇·̣̇̇·̣̣̇·̣̇̇·̇*｡(((´♡‿♡`+)))｡*ﾟ• ·̇·̣̇̇·̣̣̇·̣̇̇·̇ • 🦅🦅
Superb shots Cindy.
Ah, thank you so much!
These kestrels are quite pretty close up! 🙂
Aren’t they beautiful! Glad you enjoyed them & Happy Friday~
Great stuff. Gonzo would have been proud. 🙂
You have finally stumped me. Do you mean Gonzo the muppet, or gonzo as in Hunter T, or what?????
Zee muppet wiz zee hooked beaky snoz. 😀
Ah, yes, my first guess waz ze right one!
Reblogged this on Random Ramblings; Myriad Musings and commented:
Kestrels are beautiful birds – the smallest members of the hawk / falcon family!
😎
Thank you so much for supporting our feathered friends & cheers to you my friend~ <3
🙂
Beautiful pix of beautiful birds. I have seen a few American kestrels while walking past a cattle farm near my home. Watching them hover was a rare treat. Tho small as raptors go, they are a lot bigger than hummingbirds.
Laughing. yes they are, but any bird is bigger than a hummingbird! I am glad you have seen kestrels. They are remarkable creatures!
Exquisite detail Cindy– the feathers!! You are amazing… xo
Thank you Rhonda but it is the birds that are the amazing ones! <3
The subject matter and photography are outstanding, as always, Cindy!
You are a very kind friend Lavinia~
So cute 🙂 I wanted to “like” and comment on your “Peerless Perigrines” post also, but the link was broken between the email notification and your blog, and the post didn’t come up in a search. Anyway, what I intended to say was how pleasurable to see such a healthy pair of peregrines, as they’re from an endangered species.