{"id":37330,"date":"2016-02-10T06:07:06","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T13:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=37330"},"modified":"2016-02-10T06:29:15","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T13:29:15","slug":"a-startled-american-kestrel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/10\/a-startled-american-kestrel\/","title":{"rendered":"A Startled American Kestrel"},"content":{"rendered":"

This male American Kestrel got quite the surprise.<\/p>\n

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\"american1\/1000, f\/5.6, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 400mm, metal post removed, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I photographed him two days ago\u00a0as he was beginning\u00a0to feed\u00a0on a\u00a0small rodent\u00a0atop a tall pole along the Antelope Island causeway. Usually those rodents are voles but this\u00a0one appeared to be a mouse because it had a longer tail and a white belly.\u00a0Because of the steep angle I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the photo-op but I’m always interested in behaviors so I kept him in my sights just in case something interesting happened.\u00a0The vole appeared to be already dead but suddenly (in the previous image) it’s tail twitched and jerked upward.<\/p>\n

This was the reaction of the kestrel to that apparent resurrection of the mouse – he raised his wings and chomped down hard on the head of the rodent. He almost appears to be\u00a0furious that the mouse would have the gall to wake up again. I’m not sure it really did “wake up” – the movement of the rodent could have been caused by the weight of the kestrel but either way this instinctive reaction of the falcon was instantaneous.<\/p>\n

It made me laugh as I reviewed my photos so I though others might enjoy it too, despite the steepness of the angle.<\/p>\n

Ron<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n