Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Wild Bird Wednesday 35 - Australian Kestrel.

My blog is a little short on birds of prey compared to some others, so I'm pleased to be able to post so pictures of an Australia Kestrel.

This is a small, but common, bird of prey.  Like many other kestrels it can hover - hence one of its older names "windhover".  Its not the only small hawk in Australia that can hover, so this behaviour is not quite the 100% identification it is in other places.

All these images were taken at Point Lonsdale - which is about a two hours drive from my house.

The Australian Kestrel is sometimes called the Nankeen Kestrel, although it is suggested in some books that this is not really a good idea, as the bird does not come from Nanking in China!  The word "Nankeen" actually relates to a type of "yellow or pale buff" cloth from Nanking in China.  It goes by the binomial name of Falco cenchroides - which I believe means "falcon, somewhat like a kestrel"!  There, we have that sorted out!






I think this bird is a female - the head and the back are very similar tones.

So, there we have a bird of prey post.

Now its your turn - click on the link below and off you go.  And if you forgot to invite along a new participant last week, you can do it this week - I wont mind!

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51 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl13 March 2013 at 02:02

    i like this one's spots. very pretty. ours are very shy. :)

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  2. Brian King13 March 2013 at 02:06

    Very similar to ours in every regard. Congrats on these shots! They're handsome little raptors!

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  3. Sallie (FullTime-Life)13 March 2013 at 02:07

    He is a handsome bird and does look as if he's posing for you! We used to have a visiting kestrel when we lived in Oregon -- always worried me for the songbirds (sometimes when you feed birds, you feel like you're just setting them up).

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  4. Maude Lynn13 March 2013 at 02:16

    What a pretty bird!

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  5. Rajesh13 March 2013 at 02:26

    Very cute bird.

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  6. theconstantwalker13 March 2013 at 02:34

    A beautiful bird, wonderful images.

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  7. HansHB13 March 2013 at 02:47

    Great photos of this cute bird!

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  8. Anonymous13 March 2013 at 02:47

    I don't know that I've ever seen a kestrel. This one is very pretty. It has those amazing eyes common to other birds of prey.

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  9. Vores have13 March 2013 at 02:54

    Nice picture you show of a beautiful australsk Kestrel:) Hanne Bente

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  10. Liz13 March 2013 at 02:55

    I've never managed to get a decent shot of these birds of prey.
    I'm hanging out for my new camera & lens!!

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  11. Carletta13 March 2013 at 03:14

    Can I say 'electrifying captures'? Couldn't resist Stewart. :)
    Kidding aside, you got some wonderful shots!

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  12. Wally Jones13 March 2013 at 04:19

    Great shots, Stewart!
    I love watching Kestrels hunt. They're very efficient.
    That's a great name: Windhover!

    --Wally

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  13. ADRIAN13 March 2013 at 04:44

    Your little Kestrel is sharp as sharp.
    All I know is that female raptors are bigger than male ones.....not a lot of help unless one has a pair side by side and they are 'straight'.
    Some like Buzzard have a wee bit of orange around the head side of their beaks they are the ladies. I think kestrel do too.
    Not too sure.... I send my pictures to Keith and he tells me!

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  14. i stora drag13 March 2013 at 04:52

    I like your pictures of the kestrel! I also think it looks quite pretty!
    Last Summer I also was lucky to take pictures of this one, but I have never put those in my blog.

    Thanks Stewart for your comment last week, now I'm back after my surgery!
    Greetings Pia

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  15. Hootin Anni13 March 2013 at 05:05

    It's pretty!!!! I love birds of prey...they're so crafty and intelligent.

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  16. Hootin Anni13 March 2013 at 05:05

    It's pretty!!!! I love birds of prey...they're so crafty and intelligent.

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  17. Kusum13 March 2013 at 05:45

    Lovely picture of soaring kestrel. Doesn't look much different than the one we find in India?

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  18. mick13 March 2013 at 06:00

    Great photos of the Kestrel and that post looks to be a favorite bird perch.

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  19. Gemma Wiseman13 March 2013 at 06:09

    I still have not seen a kestrel! They seem to have a face shape that is so like an owl! Interesting colours!

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  20. Findlay Wilde13 March 2013 at 06:21

    Quite similar to our Kestrel isn't it. Do you ever get back over to England? From Findlay

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  21. Findlay Wilde13 March 2013 at 06:22

    Quite similar to our Kestrel isn't it. Do you ever get back over to England? From Findlay

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  22. Carole M.13 March 2013 at 06:33

    they're a beautiful bird Stewart; great that you could get to see this one

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  23. EG CameraGirl13 March 2013 at 06:34

    It's a sweeet falcon and does resemble the American kestrel somewhat.

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  24. grammie g13 March 2013 at 07:40

    Hi Stewart...I used to be upset about the birds of prey, until I had a Kestrel family right in my front yard in a big hollow in the tree! I watched them raise those babies all summer long, and I fell in love : )
    and realized they have to eat to!!
    You caught some fine shots..they look close to our's in appearances
    Grace

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  25. Richard Pegler13 March 2013 at 08:10

    Lovely to see your version of the Kestrel Stewart. Yours looks to have paler cheeks than the UK version.

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  26. Andrea @ From The Sol13 March 2013 at 08:10

    I love your little female Kestrel ... she does look very much like ours though ours has more black on her. How cool that you were able to get these pictures of her ... they aren't easy to capture with a camera.

    I am leaving for Nebraska for the annual Sandhill Crane Migration. They expect over 500,000 Sandhills to arive between now and April along with 185 other bird species that migrate with them. I sure am hoping that I will get some good pictures ... See you next week. :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  27. Karen13 March 2013 at 08:13

    Great shots Stewart, have a nice day.

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  28. Gail Dixon13 March 2013 at 08:22

    These are such challenging birds to photograph, but you did well! Yours likes electrical lines and poles the same as ours. I definitely think this is a female. From what I've read, the males have dark blue on the wing feathers and females are all brown on the wings. Thank you so much for hosting this meme!

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  29. eileeninmd13 March 2013 at 08:24

    The Kestrel is a pretty bird of Prey. They do like to hang out on electric poles around here too. Great shots and thanks for hosting! Hope the rest of your week is a good one!

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  30. DIMI13 March 2013 at 09:00

    What a preety bird Stewart!Great shots!I love seeing your pictures!They are so beautiful!Hope you have a wonderful day!
    Dimi..

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  31. Flat Creek Farm13 March 2013 at 09:25

    What a lovely and interesting bird of prey your Kestrel is. Gorgeous shots! -Tammy

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  32. Kerri Farley13 March 2013 at 09:48

    Very pretty bird!

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  33. Anonymous13 March 2013 at 10:41

    Wonderful! Love it's spots!

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  34. SandyCarlson13 March 2013 at 12:37

    She's a beauty, Stewart.

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  35. Gillian Olson13 March 2013 at 14:58

    Beautiful bird, good spotting!

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  36. Arija13 March 2013 at 19:59

    Such nice shots of them. Our kestrels are really shy. Sorting out bird nomenclature as well as native plants is a tricky business with all the recent changes like a lemon scented gum no longer being a gum at all although to all intents and purposes it still looks and behaves just like one.

    Thanks Stewart for the midden clear up.

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  37. Arija13 March 2013 at 20:00

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  38. JDS13 March 2013 at 22:20

    Nice looking birds. It's interesting that they go by more than one name, because in my country many people refer to American kestrels as sparrow hawks - an understandable name given their small size, but a misguided one given the fact that kestrels are falcons, not hawks.

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  39. Mary Howell Cromer13 March 2013 at 23:15

    Yeah, I love it, you did a splendid job on getting some wonderful close images of this beauty, which I am thinking is also a female. Of the Raptors, these Falcons are smaller than Hawks and Owls and others and I think to get any kind of image is marvelous and yours are really good!

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  40. Unknown14 March 2013 at 01:21

    Great series!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  41. Barbara14 March 2013 at 02:29

    So cute...but I'm sure lethal-looking to some eyes!

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  42. Anonymous14 March 2013 at 04:17

    He looks too cute to be a bird of prey!

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  43. Kateri14 March 2013 at 06:03

    That is a pretty little bird of prey. Love the photos of her on the telephone pole.

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  44. Anonymous14 March 2013 at 06:42

    The Kestrel is a beautiful bird.

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  45. tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com14 March 2013 at 09:30

    I can never capture this little one,you did a great job!thanks for hosting,phyllis in Pa of usa

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  46. Icy BC14 March 2013 at 10:24

    Fantastic shots!

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  47. Not a Dog Person14 March 2013 at 11:00

    Gorgeous bird.

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  48. Shey14 March 2013 at 13:20

    Cool captures! I've not seen a kestrel yet and hope to see one for real in the future.

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  49. A Colorful World15 March 2013 at 05:22

    She is absolutely gorgeous, Stewart!

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  50. Anonymous15 March 2013 at 18:01

    Kestrels are my favorite bird of prey and your photos really clear - and very nice - enjoyed your photos..

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  51. Pat Tillett19 March 2013 at 10:15

    We have Kestrels in my area. We don't get to see them all the time, but they are here. Not big, but VERY fast! Great photos...

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