A week ago today I found a presumably mated pair of American Kestrels in a city park near my home. They were perched within a couple of feet of each other for quite a while.
When the male on the left started jabbering at the female, she…
lost her balance on the spindly perch.
She tried to regain her balance, with…
no luck at all. So she…
accepted her fate and stepped off into the wild blue yonder.
She spread her wings and tail and basically…
fell nearly straight down from her perch, using her wings and tail to parachute down between the twigs.
Because I was trying to keep both birds in the frame I instinctively didn’t try to follow the female down with my lens, which may have been a mistake because…
I soon lost her at the bottom of the frame instead of getting more photos of her descent.
But the male sure didn’t lose her. He kept her in his sights as she descended for some distance, before…
flying off below him and to his right. Five frames later he was still watching her.
Much ado about nothing I suppose but I enjoy documenting seemingly mundane events in the lives of birds, so I decided to share.
Ron
Note: I don’t know for sure that these two kestrels are a mated pair. But based on the fact that I saw them together the next morning in almost the same place, I decided to go with it.
Here’s what Cornell’s Birds of the World has to say about the duration and maintenance of pair bonds in American Kestrels:
“Pairs usually remain together from year to year as long as both live, but either sex will readily remate if its mate dis-appears. No known cases of divorce. Bond is likely not continuous throughout year, but there have been reports of some individuals paired through winter.”
Today, after a long absence (apologies), coffee and Ron has made my morning so much better. Thank you.
Terrific post all the way ’round. Birds, behavior, incredible photography and nifty narration. For some us, “mundane” is the objective. Portraits are great, but moments such as you captured are what keeps us returning to Nature.
” … Watching His Mate Being Clumsy … ” — At my house, it’s definitely the reverse. I’m only clumsy ’cause I like the sound of her laughter. (Yeah, that’s it.) 🙂
“For some of us,”
(Not enough coffee yet.)
Great story!
I have a feeling that Mr. Kestrel got an earful layer that day. 😉
Always a treat to see an interesting behavior post from you, Ron! (Even if it takes me a little while to comment.)
Later that day — not layer. Sigh.
I loved this little play, it made me laugh. The males keen interest in her “mishap” was most amusing.
Take Care,
Kaye
Thanks, Kaye.
And to think I almost cropped the male out of these shots, thinking that many of my readers might not think his subtle reactions were as interesting as I thought they were.
Wonderful to see an email from you in my Inbox. And the pictures, complimented by your comments make a “mundane” moment worth watching/falling into. I admire people who pay attention to moments in life that pass by most of us. Even when I’m watching birds with my binoculars, I can’t see or get as much out of it as when I’m reading and looking at your posts. In my mind for a moment, I was that male kestrel and the female. I used to see then quite frequently on a pole across the street from my house, but this year not once. Thanks for the bright spot.
Thanks very much, Pat.
Very interesting + good shots. I too – would get the heck out of there if my mate started jabbering at me- especially if he was mad.
Thanks, Judy. How could anyone ever be mad at you? 🙂
So interesting how he’s got his feet wrapped around that tiny twig. Now if she’d done it the same way…..
Thanks for documenting the mundane, though since it’s kestrels, that’s pretty special!
Thanks, Carolyn. I like your eye for detail.
Now I wonder what the conversation was about……perhaps some unsettling news. Dear, it’s time to fly to Mexico! If they mograte that far?
Thanks for sharing 🙂
– Jean Pocha
Excuse me, she was not clumsy! Clumsy would be tripping over her own feet on an attempted landing — but losing one’s balance on a thin branch is simple physics. Isn’t it? 🤷🏼♀️
Anyway, I enjoyed this little series and am so glad you’re finding raptors locally to share with us. Kestrels are just charming.
“but losing one’s balance on a thin branch is simple physics. Isn’t it?”
It is if you’re clumsy, Chris. 🙂
😂
What a fun set of pictures this time. Your comments make it even better.
Glad you enjoyed my commentary, Trudy. And let me know that you did.
Observing animal behaviors is something I’ll never get tired of, so thank you for sharing as always.
I love how curious and charming kestrels (well, birds in general) look when observing something of interest. It’s the head bobs and the way their eyes track something in motion. ^_^
“Observing animal behaviors is something I’ll never get tired of”
That’s something you and I share, Amy.
Wonderful! Sometime a jabbering mate can be so destabilizing.
Thanks, Kathryn. “Destabilizing”, and other things too. I know that from experience.
Thank you so much! Any post from you is a terrific way to start the day. I wonder if you have thoughts to ever look at unprocessed photos to find more to share with us for previous field trips. But city birds are amazing, too!
Thanks, Cheryl. I plan on getting out of the city occasionally on some of my future birding excursions. Soon, hopefully – if my deteriorating back cooperates.
I love this post.visually and your commentary. so I learn more about the bird world. Happy to know they returned the next day!
Thank you, Eloise. I saw them both two days in a row but haven’t seen them since.
“Honey, you OK?!!” Glad you kept the camera on him.
Me too, Diana. Although I do wonder what I missed of the female after she left the frame.
I really like looking at each photo to see the freeze-frame story.
In the second one it’s as if whatever he said just knocked her off her feet!
But at a different level I’m reminded of some of the traditional dances I’ve seen at the Denver Powwow – beautiful, powerful dances.
Thanks, Ron.
“it’s as if whatever he said just knocked her off her feet!”
That’s pretty much the impression I got at the time. Thanks, Nina.
Love Kestrels. Rarely see them in urban SoCal these days. Used to see them a lot years ago. Thanks for bringing them to us this morning. Once again you have captured photos of a moment in nature that other folks would not even notice. Thank you for that. It is much appreciated.
Hard not to see our own selves in this photo series. And I think it is okay to do that. If a little anthropomorphizing brings us to a greater affinity to all things in nature, then I say it is a good thing.
“If a little anthropomorphizing brings us to a greater affinity to all things in nature, then I say it is a good thing.”
Well said, Michael.
Back in the late 50’s and early 60’s I used to see lots of kestrels in SoCal, especially in winter. Sad to learn they’re diminishing there too.
Too cute Ron. Glad to see you back from time to time. I have always
been amazed at how they can perch like that on the end of very thin branch. One of my favorites and have worked with the Kestrel restoration folks here for many years. In spite of our efforts their
numbers here continue to fall and that is really a shame.
Thanks, Everett. Their numbers appear to be diminishing here too.
Fun pictures and nice to see your blog come up. 😊
Thanks on both counts, Laurie.
Great series! Had a chuckle at the male so casually watching the female flounder!
Definitely ripe for some comedic thought bubbles!
“Definitely ripe for some comedic thought bubbles”
Jeff. how about “I meant to do that”, for the female (stolen from my friend Jim DeWitt).
So fun! I love how the male is just watching the show! They are such beauties!
Thanks, Lois.
Everyday behavior always interesting to me! 🙂 Large flock of Robins in the yard/field yesterday – boy are they late heading south!
Judy. About a week ago I had a flock of about 20 robins in my back yard for almost half an hour. Haven’t seen one there since.
While those vertical twigs made for pretty iffy perches, they
are a WONDERFUL visual element, breaking up the plain blue
background yet making the kestrels the stars of the “stage”. Every
time I see one, I think that all-around, kestrels have to be the most
beautiful of birds–never would have imagined they could be funny, too !
Thanks, Kris. I agree about the beauty of kestrels, both sexes.
What a great sequence. ‘Losing’ the female at one point was no loss for the event’s charm. I’m an inveterate anthropomorphizer, so the thought bubbles I could put above the male’s head gave me a few good laughs this morning.
I had some of those “thought bubbles” myself, Shoreacres. Sometimes they’re hard to resist.