American Kestrel Eating A Vole (graphic)

A couple of months ago I came across this female American Kestrel along the causeway to Antelope Island.  She had captured a vole and was in the process of eating it while perched on a road sign.  The images I’ve presented here aren’t pretty and won’t appeal to everyone but as I’ve said many times before I’m fascinated by behaviors.

 

1//1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc

She had already decapitated the vole and was in the process of disemboweling it when I found her.  Kestrels routinely discard the intestines and she had previously removed the small intestine (portions of which can be seen near the underside of the tail).   Here she is dropping the coiled mass of the large intestine.  As she attempted to eat the vole the large intestine was right in front of her on the perch and she apparently found its presence right under her face as she dined to be offensive and distracting so she repeatedly tried to drop it over the edge of the sign to get rid of it.  Three times she picked it up and dropped it but each time it landed on the edge of the wooden post without going over the edge.

 

 

 1//1600, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 Finally, on the third attempt, she succeeded in dropping it over the edge, but just barely.

 

 

 1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 Now with her dining table cleaned up she was able to attend to the rest of her meal.  There was a brisk wind and as she pulled off a piece of the pelt the breeze blew it between her legs.

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 The effort of skinning the vole put her body in a variety of awkward positions and when a wind gust would come along it would often almost blow her off the perch.

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 Here she’s catching her balance without being distracted from her goal.

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 More pulling…

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 and tugging…

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 and finally the piece of hide is pulled away but again the breeze puts her off-balance as she tries to discard it with her left foot.

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

 And then there’s still more hide to pull off but eventually…

 

 

  1//2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f/4, 1.4 t

she’s able to enjoy the more appetizing portions of the vole.

I’ve seen kestrels both discard the pelt and eat it.  In my experience they consume it more often during winter when food demands are higher and voles more difficult to find.

Ron