We went by to check on the young kestrels the other day and arrived just in time to see one of the parents delivering breakfast. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Archive for June, 2009
Breakfast delivery
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009Hawk, deer, and a haystack
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
There was something so amazing about seeing this hawk sitting peacefully on top of the hay bale as the deer looked on in the background. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Young red-tailed hawks
Monday, June 29th, 2009
It’s that time of year again. The fledglings are flying around and curious as toddlers. As long as I don’t make too many sudden movements or make any noise, they don’t seem to mind me taking pictures at all. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Dragonflies
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
So many wonderful colors! Click on pictures to enlarge.
Young Red-tailed hawk
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
I came upon this lovely hawk this morning. At first, I just assumed she was a red-tailed hawk, but looking at the pictures, I’m was not so sure. I asked the Kansas birding list for help and several folks confirmed that she is a juvenile red-tailed hawk. Click to enlarge.
Cardinalicious
Friday, June 19th, 2009
She has a new nest in the yard, just a few feet from the old one. She was taking a break outside the thicket this afternoon when I got these pics. She told me she needs more cantaloupe seeds. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Nothing common about him
Friday, June 19th, 2009
This little guy is a common yellowthroat warbler. He seemed to be zooming around the wetlands a few feet ahead of me on the trail the entire time I was there. Click on picture to enlarge.
More Kestrels
Friday, June 19th, 2009
I stopped by to check on the young kestrels a few days ago and everyone seems to be doing well. These pics are of one of the parents watching over the young one still in the nest box. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Young kestrels doing fine
Friday, June 12th, 2009
We went back this morning to see how our young friend was doing and found him sitting on top of a pole near the same spot. His sister apparently fledged also. It was great to see them doing well. We also saw some activity at the other nest box. Notice the little face peeking out. Click on pictures to enlarge.
Baby Kestrel
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
I was on my way back from checking on one of the eagle nests last week when I saw a baby kestrel in the road. At first, I thought he was an injured adult. There are many big trucks that come down this road and I was afraid he was going to get run over. I called Operation Wildlife and the wonderful woman on the line said, “Is his tail about two inches long?” I realized she was asking because he was a baby and his parents were probably around feeding him. I asked her if she thought it would be OK for me to move him into the nearby field so he wouldn’t get hit by a car. She said that would probably be a good idea. I really wanted to pick him up and give him a few pets while I was doing this, but of course, I knew no matter how cute he looked, I could lose a finger, not to mention, terrify him. I grabbed a canvas bag out of the car and used it to scoot him out of the road. He hissed at me a bit, but seemed very curious about what I was saying to him (I was telling him how beautiful he was and giving him a little lecture about staying out of the middle of the road).
After I got him into the field, I heard the parents overhead giving me a scolding, so I figured everything would be OK. We went back to check on him over the next few days and realized that the reason he was hanging out in this area, so near the road, was there is a nest box nearby. Sure enough, another baby was sticking her head out watching. The nest box looked a bit like a phone box, so we hadn’t noticed it before. When we checked on him the last time, he was in the same area, but seemed to be doing a bit more flying. We haven’t been back in several days. I pray that he and his siblings are doing well. We hope to drive back by tomorrow and see if all is well. Click on pictures to enlarge.