Being Stalked by an American Kestrel on the Tuolumne River

I've had some nice interactions with certain birds of late. Of course the goal in birdwatching is to avoid pestering the birds or changing their behavior because of your presence. But in the cases lately (the Red-tailed Hawk, and the Ring-billed Gull) the birds were perched just above the trail or walkway and I couldn't avoid walking by.

I see two or three American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) almost every time I walk the Tuolumne Parkway Trail where the river leaves the Sierra Foothills. Two of them seem to be a pair. And they are usually pretty skittish, flying off even when I am still far away. Today, the male watched me as I approached, but I kept my head down and didn't stop until I was past. I slowly turned around and got an eyeful from the small falcon. But it didn't fly away. I guess I lost that stare-down...

American Kestrels on the Tuolumne Parkway Trail

One of the dependable birds that I see on my walks along the Tuolumne River are the American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). They are certainly not as common as Starlings or Scrub Jays, but there is a pair that consistently shows up in the treetops. I'm not usually close enough for good shots, but once in awhile one of them perches in near the trail keeping an eye on me. That's how I got this shot yesterday.

I caught the Kestrel pair last August in the top of one of the huge oak trees along the river. I have no idea if they had a nest this year or not, but I'll be watching more carefully as spring rolls around.

American Kestrels on the Tuolumne River Trail

The American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) have been out in force the last couple of weeks on the Tuolumne River Trail in Waterford. I've seen as many as three of them along a one mile stretch of the river, and as you can see, a couple of times they remained still enough for some reasonable pictures. It may be winter, but we finally got some rain and the green grass sprouting, which is bringing out some of the other members of the food chain, and the hunt for grasshoppers or lizards seems to be going well.

It's always a pleasure to observe them.

American Kestrel on the Tuolumne River

If you happen to love American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), the last couple of weeks on the Tuolumne River Parkway Trail have been good times to see them. There are at least three of them hanging out along the trail, including this one, which was perched on an oak at the edge of the bluffs at the top of the stairwell to the river. I had driven up to the trailhead, and literally took these shots from inside the car.

The name "American" Kestrel is about as true as can be: it ranges from the southern tip of South America to Alaska, with nary a sighting anywhere else in the world. They are relatively common, but their numbers have declined because of habitat loss and overuse of pesticides that have caused a sharp drop in some of the insects and small animals that are their prey.

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

American Kestrel at the San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge

There were rumors "flying" about in birding circles this week about a Brant that made an appearance at the Beckwith Road viewing platform. Well, not rumors, it was actually there. It's only the fourth appearance by this goose species ever in our county. I'm not quite to the place where I drop everything in an effort to see a single rare bird, but I was in town on errands, so I went on out to the San Joaquin NWR to see what was happening. It was early in the afternoon which is not the best time to see the birds, and my low expectations were fulfilled. The geese flock was nearly a mile away. There was not much else going on, but as I was leaving, I saw an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) perched on the telephone wires.

It was not as skittish as they often are, and didn't fly off, so I got a couple of shots. They are colorful little falcons.

It looks like some Snow Geese and Ross's Geese have begun arriving in the valley. I could see a flock at the pond in the great distance, along with the Cackling Geese.

American Kestrel and California Scrub Jay on the Tuolumne River

Lots of travels lately, so I haven't had many chances to explore the river in my own backyard, much less post pictures of birds in general. But this morning I got the chance and almost immediately noticed an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) in the top of one of the dead oak trees. That wasn't unusual, but it was being mobbed a bit by two or three California Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma californica). I don't know what they were arguing about, but they all flew away when I walked under the tree.

You haven't heard of a California Scrub Jay before? That might be because it has only been a species for less than a year. Those in charge of such things decided in 2016 that two races or subspecies of the Western Scrub Jay were actually distinct species. The California Scrub Jay ranges across the coastal mountains of Baja, California, Oregon and Washington, while the Woodhouse's Scrub Jay ranges across the interior states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The California Jays have a slightly hooked beak that allows for attacking acorns while the Woodhouse's beak is straighter, allowing them to dig out pine nuts from cones.

Immature American Kestrel at Petrified Forest National Park

Our recent journey through the Colorado Plateau brought us to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. There was plenty of geology and archaeology at the park, but when we reached the Puerco River Pueblo, I grabbed a sandwich and walked down the banks of the creek to see what kinds of birds were out and about. There were dozens of swallows flying about the river bridge, some ravens, and a few doves. But one bird was watching me. I felt uncomfortably like food. It was an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius). The spotted breast told me it was an immature bird.

Close Encounter with an American Kestrel near Knights Ferry

We took one of our short excursions yesterday, into the low Sierra Nevada foothills near Knights Ferry on the Stanislaus River. The region is part of the fast-diminishing prairies and grasslands (almonds are the new gold in agriculture around here). We saw several birds here and there, but eventually we started home. We must have passed 200 Meadowlarks, Goldfinches, and Western Kingbirds perched on the fences, but as we approached Highway 108 I saw an unfamiliar shape and stopped down the road. I took a distant shot and realized it was an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).

I wondered what it would do if turned around and came back up the road (slowly). To my surprise, it didn't seem to care that we were there and I was able to snap a series of extraordinarily close pictures. I've taken a few shots of Kestrels in the past, but never this clear. They are strikingly colorful birds.

The Kestrel is common across North and South America, but their numbers have declined by almost half during the last fifty years, due in part ot habitat loss, and from pesticides that kill some of their principle prey species such as grasshoppers. They are the smallest of the falcons, and sometimes fall prey to the larger raptors.

Bird of the Day: American Kestrels at the Merced and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges.

Superbowl Sunday turned out to be a great day for seeing raptors and other hunters at the local bird refuges. I got a few shots of some American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) at two different locales, the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (above), and the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (below). The bird, which has been called a sparrow hawk, is actually a falcon, the smallest of the American species.

The kestrels have been struggling, with only about half the population they had in the 1960s. Most of the decline comes from habitat loss, including the clearing of fields with tree snags that they prefer for nesting.