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Screamin' Kestrel (American Kestrel)
My Apologies for this one. Had the camera setup for the western screech owl and forgot to speed up for kestrel flight. Amazing what you can do though with only 1/500 sec.

Second Chick Fledging (American Kestrels)
The second of three male kestrel chicks leaves the nest hole for the first time.

Shadow of The Lizard #2 (American Kestrel)
Some nice under wing detail here. Too bad the lizard has no tail.

Another Lizard Delivery (American Kestrels)
The male kestrel makes another lizard delivery to the nest hole.

Three Heads Are Better Than One (American Kestrels)
The chicks keep a lookout for the male kestrel bringing more food to the nest hole.

First Chick Out! (American Kestrel)
Here is an image of the first American kestrel out of the nest yesterday. Three male chicks left the nest hole while we were there.

Shadow of The Lizard (American Kestrel)
Here is a flight shot from one of today's feedings. I like the way you can see the lizard's shadow on the bird's wing.

Coming in Hot! (American Kestrel)
The male kestrel zooms in at high speed to deliver another lizard to the female.

Food Delivery (Female American Kestrel)
The female American kestrel returns to the nest with a decapitated bird to feed to the chicks.

Heads or Tails? (American Kestrel)
Looks like this male American kestrel got a little hungry before bringing this lizard back to the nest to feed the chicks.

Topside View (American Kestrel)
A bit of a crop of the American kestrel showing off his full array of back and tail colors..

Bringing Home The Bacon (American Kestrel)
An American kestrel brings another lizard to the nest to feed its hungry chicks.

American Kestrel (Male)
Went down south for a spring visit with the kestrels. Got a couple of images but they are still pretty skittish and staying far away.

Male American Kestrel
This image is from the fall. One in a sequence of photos taken as the bird came towards me. He stayed to feed at the estuary for about three weeks then was gone.

Looking Straight into The Lens (American Kestrel)
After having a tussle with a raven, an American kestrel flies directly at me not realizing that I have been photographing him the whole time.

Female Kestrel Back Shot (American Kestrel)
Another one of my signature back shots. This one taken near the Cinnamon Ridge Composting Facility close to the Kamloops Airport. Same perch as the previous image of the male kestrel.

Eyes on Target (American Kestrel)
A male American kestrel prepares for a landing on an old tree snag at Cinnamon Ridge near Kamloops.

Interesting Wing Position (American Kestrel)
Another frame captured as the female kestrel fluttered down to the nest hole.

Kestrel With Tenderized mouse #2 (American Kestrel)
Female kestrel incoming with a tenderized mouse for the chicks.

Female Kestrel With Tenderized Mouse (American Kestrel
The female american kestrel prepares for a landing with a tenderized mouse for the chicks.

Female Kestrel With Lizard (American Kestrel)
The female perches near the nest hole with a fresh lizard.

Female Kestrel With Mouse (American Kestrel)
In this image the female kestrel catches a rather soggy mouse to take back to the nest hole. She will take it to a branch first to tenderize it for the new borne chicks.

Female Kestrel Dive (American Kestrel)
The female kestrel dives towards the nest from a nearby tree.

Breakfast Delivery (American Kestrel)
In this image the male American kestrel tries to coax the female out of the nest with a fresh mouse.

Female Kestrel in Flight
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Love is in The Air (American Kestrels)
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Distant Image (American Kestrel)
Here is another one from last weekend. Couldn't get them to come in close so we had to do long distance stuff.

American Kestrel
They wouldn't come in close yesterday so I had to be satisfied with a few distant shots.

Late Morning Snack (American Kestrel)
The male kestrel delivers yet another yummy lizard to its hungry chicks.

Even Light Composition (American Kestrel)
Sorry to be repetitious but I just couldn't resist another shot of this beautiful male kestrel in yesterday's even light. Sure seems a lot better than that glaring sun with the harsh shadows.

Green is On The Menu (American Kestrel)
I guess green lizards are on the menu today. Did the big climb for the third time this season today. Getting a bit faster every time.

Taking a Breather (American Kestrel)
The male American kestrel takes a brief rest at the nest hole after delivering another lizard. Folks on Flickr please left click for the best detail.

A Smile For The Camera (American Kestrel)
Could have sworn that the lizard in this picture is looking at me and smiling. Did my best with this one in some harsh light.

Don't Drop it! (American Kestrel - Female)
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Don't Loose Your Head! (American Kestrel)
Oops! Too late for this lizard.

Dragon Slayer 2021 #2 (American Kestrel)
The female and male were both amazing hunters. Couldn't figure how they did it. Each one could have a lizard in just a couple of minutes.

Lizard Launch #2 (American Kestrel)
This image taken further along in the same sequence. Found a great spot lower down on the cliff where you could see them launch.

Lizard Launch (American Kestrel)
Here is the male just launching off of a branch and heading for the nest.

Dragon Slayer 2021 (American Kestrel)
This is the closest image I got of the female with a lizard. Sometimes she was fed by the male and sometimes she caught one for herself.

Kestrel In Flight (American Kestrel)
Sorry about this one. Did my best with the harsh light. Cropped a bit as well. Just love the colors on the male bird.

Same Bird Different Branch (American Kestrel)
Can't decide which one I like best. You be the judge.

Male Kestrel
A male kestrel rests on an old snag temporarily while hunting.

Lizard Exchange (American Kestrels)
The female kestrel hands off the lizard to one of the juvenile female fledglings. This one taken at quite a distance away so a big crop. Light was a bit harsh as it was later in the day but you get the idea.

Beauty In Moss and Shadow (American Kestrel)
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In The Spotlight (American Kestrels)
Brother and Sister enjoy the morning sun together on the top of an old snag.

Coming In Hot! (American Kestrels)
Momma makes another wall lizard delivery to one of her female chicks.

Anticipation (American Kestrel)
In this image the young female kestrel tries to get the mother kestrel's attention during a feeding run.

Juvenile Male Kestrel In Morning Light (American Kestrel)
Got this handsome young fellow on a nice open branch early this morning.

Feeding Time (American Kestrels)
Found another image that shows the juvenile male with a lizard in his mouth inside the nest cavity while Mom keeps alert clinging to the side of the snag.

Watching For Dad (American Kestrels)
In this image the female kestrel and one of the chicks keep an eye out for the male kestrel who is presently hunting for lizards to bring to the nest.

Special Delivery #2 (American Kestrel)
A different angle on the female kestrel delivering a lizard to her hungry chicks.

Kestrels At The Nest (American Kestrel)
The female kestrel prepares to push off at the nest hole to go in search of more food for the chicks.

High Five (American Kestrel)
One of the chicks gives a wave from inside of the nest hole.

Special Delivery (American Kestrel)
The female kestrel delivers another lizard to her hungry chicks.

Watching For Mom (American Kestrel)
A young male American kestrel waits at the nest hole for the female kestrel to deliver another European wall lizard.

Bird on a Wire (American Kestrel)
Made another trip out to Parksville to visit the American kestrels. Pretty skittish as usual but I did manage one half decent image close up on the powerline. Will try in the future for a more natural perch.

Natural Perch
Took advantage of the nice soft light today and managed to get the female kestrel on a natural perch with good background. It flushed before I could get any closer. 840mm equivalent, hand held.