Photo scoop of male American Kestrel dragging a small Rabbit kill to his nest.
Here’s The Scoop... It all happened on a bright day in early May while I was about to set up my gear at the
usual spot with the best possible viewing angle of the nest's entry. It was around noon with the light rather
harsh, not yet in my favor. I had seen the male kestrel dive into a meadow some hundred yards away. The
fact that he didn’t reappear could be interpreted as a telltale sign of a successful kill...There was some
movement but a lot of rather high, wild spring growth obstructed my view. Eventually I got distracted by an
Indigo Bunting in The Tree. After a few shots I went to focus on the kestrels’ nest. Previously, I had missed
too many pictures by letting my lens go astray... It took the male AmK a long time to bring in his prey. He
would leap up and land, leap up and land again, with something large in his talons. (Or was it his beak..?)
The nest was some 20 yards from the ground and our raptor again had to make several stops on his way up.
Far from being an ornithologist, I did not quite realize at the time the significance of what I had been
allowed to witness and record. Though I like watching and photographing birds, they are not my primary
obsession. In the field, with or without camera, I see myself mainly as an image hunter, satisfying some
deep-rooted hunting instincts. Hunting without harming. At the time I didn’t know enough about kestrel
behavior to realize that for this particular species to bring in a rabbit, however small, was anything but
routine. Later, I couldn’t find any reference in any book as to such an accomplishment. This exceptional
hunter even had managed to rid the family meal of most of its tender fur before attempting repeatedly to
unload it at the nest cavity. In hindsight I would speculate that the kestrel somehow had a notion that he
would not be able to force that kind of a chunk into the narrow entry. Was he showing off..? (”You see this?
You got yourself the most macho kestrel in the whole wide world. I will always reward your trust in me!”)
usual spot with the best possible viewing angle of the nest's entry. It was around noon with the light rather
harsh, not yet in my favor. I had seen the male kestrel dive into a meadow some hundred yards away. The
fact that he didn’t reappear could be interpreted as a telltale sign of a successful kill...There was some
movement but a lot of rather high, wild spring growth obstructed my view. Eventually I got distracted by an
Indigo Bunting in The Tree. After a few shots I went to focus on the kestrels’ nest. Previously, I had missed
too many pictures by letting my lens go astray... It took the male AmK a long time to bring in his prey. He
would leap up and land, leap up and land again, with something large in his talons. (Or was it his beak..?)
The nest was some 20 yards from the ground and our raptor again had to make several stops on his way up.
Far from being an ornithologist, I did not quite realize at the time the significance of what I had been
allowed to witness and record. Though I like watching and photographing birds, they are not my primary
obsession. In the field, with or without camera, I see myself mainly as an image hunter, satisfying some
deep-rooted hunting instincts. Hunting without harming. At the time I didn’t know enough about kestrel
behavior to realize that for this particular species to bring in a rabbit, however small, was anything but
routine. Later, I couldn’t find any reference in any book as to such an accomplishment. This exceptional
hunter even had managed to rid the family meal of most of its tender fur before attempting repeatedly to
unload it at the nest cavity. In hindsight I would speculate that the kestrel somehow had a notion that he
would not be able to force that kind of a chunk into the narrow entry. Was he showing off..? (”You see this?
You got yourself the most macho kestrel in the whole wide world. I will always reward your trust in me!”)
The male kestrel’s “klee-klee” sounded almost
triumphant. If the rabbit cadaver wouldn’t slip
in, it sure was good to parade it in front of the
family... After a few more passes it came to rest
on a fairly secure depository some 5 yards
below the nest where a large branch had broken
off. The kestrels had used this spot before. Male
and female took turns in ripping pieces of flesh
from the kill and making drops at the nest. From
where I was positioned with my tripod on the
rim of a dam, I had no direct view of the meat
chopping block. To move my equipment to the
other side of The Tree would have been risky,
time consuming and might have turned out futile.
Also, at the time it didn’t seem important for me
to do that. I was in Karma mode anyhow.
You shoot what you get. The rest is experience.
triumphant. If the rabbit cadaver wouldn’t slip
in, it sure was good to parade it in front of the
family... After a few more passes it came to rest
on a fairly secure depository some 5 yards
below the nest where a large branch had broken
off. The kestrels had used this spot before. Male
and female took turns in ripping pieces of flesh
from the kill and making drops at the nest. From
where I was positioned with my tripod on the
rim of a dam, I had no direct view of the meat
chopping block. To move my equipment to the
other side of The Tree would have been risky,
time consuming and might have turned out futile.
Also, at the time it didn’t seem important for me
to do that. I was in Karma mode anyhow.
You shoot what you get. The rest is experience.
