Without a doubt this is one of my favourite birds. I try to get shots of them every year.
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They are quite common and can often be seen hovering while hunting for prey.
I usually start working on them about August when they are preparing for the nesting season. This can go on for months and a lot of patience is required to get the results.
If you know of a nest site from the previous season, then this is a good start.
I know when the female starts taking nesting material that it’s time to keep a constant watch.
You will find at this point of time that the female does not do a lot of hunting. Instead she will probably be in or around the nest hole.
The male will communicate with her and she will fly to a nearby perch where he will present her with food such as a skink.
This can be repeated for days and usually the perch she flies to is the perch where they will eventually mate.
This presents a great opportunity to get some dramatic images.
Once the chicks hatch both parents will bring a constant supply of food – everything from insects, rodents, small birds, and even snakes.
Kestrels will tolerate your presence within reason, which makes photographing them quite straight forward.
When feeding the chicks, high speed flash can be used to freeze the action, or if close enough short duration flash this will give your images impact and in turn tell the story.
While hunting the Kestrels require open pasture land, where they will hover in one spot and then move to the next area and repeat the process. They tend to avoid dense forests.
When hovering it will use rapid wing-beats, using its fan-shaped tail as a rudder – this allows it to keep its head very still as it scans the ground for prey. When they spot their target they drop swiftly.
Some insects and birds may be caught in mid-air or snatched from tree branches.
Kestrels usually have two broods a year and the same nest hole is sometimes used.
By raptor standards kestrel are quite small. They tend to be reddish brown in the upper parts with some dark streaking. The wings are tipped with black. The underparts are paler and the under tail is finely barred with black, with a broader black band towards the tip.