I hope you’ll bear with me but for this post I decided to go whimsical. This image isn’t particularly strong technically but it always brings a smile to my face and I thought others might enjoy it.
1/1250, f/10, ISO 640, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc
This plastic owl sits atop a weather station transmitter at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. The obvious purpose of the owl is to scare birds away from the transmitter. You can see how well it works with kestrels.
American Kestrels are just about the only species of bird that I’ve seen dare to perch on top of this phony Great Horned Owl. I’ve always admired these courageous little falcons for their pluck and wondered, only slightly in jest, if they might have a bit of a Napoleon complex. Truly a bird with cojones – both sexes.
Ron
That is one relaxed bird…. sitting on one foot. Apparently the plastic owl did not fool him.
I believe all kestrels have moxie and this photograph shows it so delightfully!
Small raptor, large attitude. Haha!
fun shot, Ron. Here at the canyon we have an annual hawk migration count (most years) by HawkWatch Intl from SLC. Their observers put up an owl decoy, which doesn’t typically get much response from the hawks, but it is pretty funny to watch the ravens as they cautiously identify it and complain about it from afar, and then eventually land on its head and start pecking at it.
This is simply awesome!
Thank you Elephant’s Child, Tana, Bob and Nicole. It tickles me that you like the shot.
Incredible photograph!!
Great shot, Ron. The American Kestrel is one of my favorite small raptors. Always feisty and colorful. I love ’em.
Wonderful, adorable and ironic
Thank you. I snorted with mirthful glee. That is an enchantment.