29 Dec Nice Tail | Dec 2015

Nice Tail

American Kestrel, male

Nice tail, right?

I figured that you might be wondering what an American Kestrel (male) looks like as it flies away from you. So here’s a photo.

Certainly, what else could someone be thinking about during the last week in December?

American Kestrels will hover while they search for food. And they prefer to hover by facing into the wind. That way the bird needs only an occasional wing flap to stay in place.

So it’s relatively easy to take a photo like this. All you need is wind, light, and an American Kestrel that is hovering. Of course, I wish the wind had been blowing the other way.

Then the bird would be facing toward the camera. And I could take photos like this one.

American Kestrel, male

In this case, however, the bird was not hovering. Instead, it was zipping about – going up, down, here, there, and flying toward me.

That makes taking such a photo really difficult.

Thus, I’m grateful for this photo. And I’m hoping that next year I can take a better one.

Which explains why at this moment I’m thinking about this nice tail, hovering kestrels, and being lucky in the new year.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

By the way, here’s how to be lucky in three easy steps:

How to Be Lucky

Birding Resources

These photos were taken at Bosque del Apache, NWR, New Mexico.

Find more info on the web site of The Friends of the Bosque del Apache.

Did You Know?

The most effective way to help birds is to buy land.

Here are three organizations that excel at doing this.

1) American Bird Conservancy

2) The Nature Conservancy

3) The Trust for Public Land

Please visit their web sites to learn about the work they do.

Here’s an excellent book: The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation

You can help – Please share this blog with others.

Inspiring Respect for Nature, one bird at a time.

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