The Victorious Hunter, an American Kestrel on the Tuolumne Parkway Trail

I'm getting to know this particular American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). It has a favorite perch near the western end of the Tuolumne Parkway Trail in Waterford, and even made an appearance on this blog previously (at least I assume so, given the repeated appearances on the same treetop). Today, it was giving a victory call after procuring an unfortunately lizard (I felt bad for the lizard, but "circle of life" and all that; Kestrels themselves get preyed on by larger birds like hawks and owls).

The Kestrel along the Tuolumne River rarely lets me get close enough for a sharp picture (these shots are with a 60x zoom).  I'll probably never get as good a chance to photograph a Kestrel as I did last year in May along Willms Road. You can check those pictures out here: http://geotripperbirds.blogspot.com/2015/05/close-encounter-with-american-kestrel.html