![\"american](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/american-kestrel-5577-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAfter all the time I’ve spent in the field watching and photographing birds and their behaviors I still occasionally see something that\u00a0surprises me. This time I wasn’t able to photograph the actual behavior (there is no meadowlark in any of these images) but I still wanted to post the kestrel and describe what I observed.<\/p>\n
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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n I photographed this male American Kestrel yesterday morning at Farmington MBR. He was perched in good light, he stood his ground as I approached and I like the wispy background that includes fall vegetation colors and blue sky. It’s just a simple image that I like even though I wish\u00a0I’d been a little closer to the bird.<\/p>\n He only gave me a few seconds to photograph him before he…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n took off after apparent prey on the ground just a few feet from the post he had been perched on (as per usual he took off away from me…). As he was on the ground and before I could get my lens trained on him a Western Meadowlark attacked him. The attack didn’t appear to be typical mobbing behavior where songbirds harass a raptor but keep a safe distance. This meadowlark appeared intent on doing bodily harm to the little falcon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/3200, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II,<\/em> Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/p>\n The kestrel took off to escape the meadowlark. It all happened so fast that I had no time to properly aim my lens so I simply pointed it (without looking through my viewfinder) in the general direction of the kestrel and fired off a short burst.\u00a0Amazingly I caught the kestrel in the frame though it isn’t particularly sharp. The kestrel landed on the side of a nearby hill and was attacked again by the meadowlark so it flew off.<\/p>\n I thought the meadowlark was really gutsy to take on a kestrel so aggressively. Meadowlarks are quite large songbirds (almost as big as a kestrel, 97g vs 117g)\u00a0but they’re\u00a0not nearly\u00a0as maneuverable in the air as a smaller passerine. When kestrels take on birds as prey they’re usually “small<\/em> passerines” according to BNA Online\u00a0(and in my own experience), although BNA does report a single anecdotal incident of a kestrel killing a\u00a0Northern\u00a0Flicker.<\/p>\n There’s nothing earthshaking here and I didn’t even get a photo of the meadowlark but I must admit that this behavior surprised me. Meadowlarks have long and very sharply pointed bills so maybe that potential weapon gave it the extra macho needed to make the attack…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After all the time I’ve spent in the field watching and photographing birds and their behaviors I still occasionally see something that surprises me.<\/p>\n![\"american](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/american-kestrel-5590-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"american](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/american-kestrel-5592-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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