AMERICAN KESTREL! She's returned to me!

[jackbreakfast]

Kindly and kingly sproats & birdmachines, on my necessary walk today I chanced again into the (presumably) same ladybird, who was kind enough to yet again devour a vole before my delighted eyes! Anyhow, I won't post the truly disgusting shots but will instead offer these pleasant ones, with exactly the correct amount of vole innards to make you feel alive and free!
Kiss a bird,
Jack Breakfast
p.s.  This is a female, is it not? Rather than a juvenile? Thomas and Reuven et al will tell me, I'm sure...o o o, here's hoping...

[thouc]

Nice pictures. Unfortunately I'm not sure about age/gender, more than that it's not an adult male.

/Thomas

[Rob'in'To]

Nice revisit!  Kestrels are sweet raptors.

I'm hoping for some cold weather and snow, to lure the Hawks back to my yard.  I want to get some dinner shots myself.

[feathered]

Young males show blue-gray on the wings, so it's definitely female. I'm not sure how to age them though. Nice shots!

[jackbreakfast]

Thanks, folks...
I believe the young ones look like the corresponding adults, which is to say that this bird is a female no matter what...
Ah, birds.

[jackbreakfast]

p.s.  Rob, you're quite right...nothing says 'sweet' like ripping up a vole 20 ft. in front of a happy man in his winterwear...

[MEGHAN]

David, these are fantastic!!!
Just great.
Your fun and enthusiasm make all you pictures awesome.
I'm leaning towards the first one as my fave.

Meghan

[Reg]

Very nice set, i'm guessing he didn't share his lunch with you.

[jackbreakfast]

Ah, thanks folks...
Reg is however quite mistaken...it was I who brought the voles for us to share...how else could I have gotten so close, after all?

[Jim Thomson]

Went looking for Long-tailed Ducks at the Burlington Canal today and came across this little beauty.  Should have had  some of those voles  to keep her around longer.

[jackbreakfast]

And an interesting photographic comparison at that b/c we can clearly see the difference in feather detail &c. as brought out by bright light...ah, light! Yes and always...nice picture, Jim, and lucky you. These are some GOOD GIRLS o yes o mighty

[Reg]

Ah, thanks folks...
Reg is however quite mistaken...it was I who brought the voles for us to share...how else could I have gotten so close, after all?

I sure hope you enjoyed that Vole with you're friend :lol:

[jackbreakfast]

Yes...next time I'll post some of the grislier shots, just for you...

[BoboBird]

Lovely.

So you reckon we should carry around voles in addition to the bird feed?

I cannot see myself doing that though.

[jackbreakfast]

You know something, Bobo, it's no joke! While on a nature walk the other day I found a dead PET-STORE MOUSE lying in the middle of the walkway...actually I've had discussions (that I found fascinating) about "baiting" with a few different bird photographers, all of whom take textbook "bird-book shots" that are technically excellent...that could be a whole other discussion, obviously, better left to the "anything goes" subsection of this forum, I'd think? I'm strictly opposed to such practices when I'm shooting pictures but I certainly don't find baiting "deplorable" or "wrong" although I have a feeling that most folks on this forum would be dead-set against that practice as a hard and fast rule...who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...the baiter knows...