American Kestrel

The Tustin Marine Base is just ridiculously cool for bird-of-prey birdwatching.  Driving past it at lunch last year, I saw an osprey perched on the side of Jamboree on a light pole. (I understand ospreys are nesting in Irvine over by UCI now, so I am planning a trip over there at lunch later this week.)  I go over to the Tustin District Legacy or whatever-the-hell it's called, the shopping center now built on the base, for lunch fairly regularly, and see all kinds of hawks and crows and you name it.

When I finally thought to take my camera to work with me today I managed to get pictures of four different birds of prey in the span of 30 minutes, all from the comfort of my car.

I went specifically to get the Turkey Vultures, and wasn't disappointed.  (Although, technically, vultures are not birds of prey, and may be more closely related to storks.)


When I first pulled into the residential neighborhood where the vultures were roosting, a smallish hawk flew in and landed on the same roof with about five vultures.  While I was struggling to get my camera and lenses out of the bag, the vultures, none to happy with their guest, hopped across the roof a little menacingly, and the hawk took off.

Only to land a couple of houses away.


It was facing the wrong direction, and was a little distant, even for the big lens, but I'm pretty sure (based on the rounded body and squared-off white-tipped tail) that it's a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

A few minutes later, driving into the shopping center, there's a big ole Red-tailed Hawk on a street light. So I pulled over and snapped a couple pictures.


Just as I was leaving the subdivision where I got the vultures, a tiny bird huddled on a street light in the drizzle caught my eye.


So, stopped at a red light with cars behind me and shooting through the passenger window, I was able to get this picture of an American Kestrel, cutest and most colorful member of the falcon family.

American Kestrel, among other birds of prey, at the Tustin Marine Base, October 5, 2010.  Shot with the Nikon and Sigma 150-500mm.  Kestrel and Sharp-shinned identified on the Cornell website.

Comments

  1. two kestrels were resting on a perch. One says to the other, "Do you smell fish?"
    Seriously. Good posts the last couple of days. I have taken to pissing on my legs.

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