[Birdtalk] Kestrel/Junco behavior

[Jeffrey Saffle]

This isn¹t the first time prey birds have acted nonchalant around kestrels.
However, about two weeks ago my wife watched a male kestrel kill and eat a
starling in our backyard, and took some digiscoped photos which were partly
obscured by branches.

All I can say is:  those little birds better watch out!  They don¹t call
them ³sparrow hawks² for nothing.

J Saffle 


On 12/31/07 11:17 AM, "John Morgan" <jmorgan480 at comcast.net> wrote:

> Hi,
> Yesterday afternoon marked my first Winter 2007 observation of raptor activity
> around my backyard feeders. First, I saw the quick pass through of something
> unidentifiable as birds scattered. Moments later, a male American Kestrel
> returned and perched right outside our window on one of the deck railing
> posts! For reference, this post is about 12' from our window, and an 18' tall
> flowering pear tree is about 24' from that same window. As the Kestrel sat on
> his perch, a defiant male Dark-Eyed Junco sat perched nonchalantly near the
> top of the aforementioned pear tree. The Junco seemed unalarmed by the
> Kestrel's presence--was not frozen with fear.
>  
> Does this seem odd to anyone?
>  
> Pretty much guaranteed that if the same attacker was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, all
> birds including the lazy Mourning Doves in a neighbor's tree would have made a
> quick escape. Now, given that a male A Kestrel could easily manage a Junco,
> I'm very puzzled at this observed defiance by this lone Junco.
>  
> Seems a lot of "dinner" birds don't take American Kestrels seriously...as if
> they're saying "Don't you have a mouse to catch somewhere? What're you doing
> here in this backyard?"
>  
> Perhaps Juncos (refer to the segment of "Over the Hedge" where Hammie is on
> caffeine), when in the assumed protection of a tree, think they can easily
> outmaneuver Kestrels?
> This Kestrel's actions gave the appearance of being less-experienced at
> backyard strafing. Kind of embarrassing, really. Why does it seem that
> predators in general always return to the area of anticipated capture as if to
> demonstrate their disbelief that they just missed 60 birds (perhaps in hopes
> that one more scared bird will finally get the nerve to fly off?) and to
> figure out their next attack strategy. By human terms, this admission of
> faulty strategy would be the source of embarrassment in the event that anyone
> had observed the failed attempt. I suppose the Kestrel didn't know we were
> watching :) On snow days our windows are like one-way mirrors.
>  
> My question to the group: can't a Kestrel make an equally aggressive chase as
> a Sharp-Shinned? But would they? Is it true that they are not as likely to
> actively chase as would a sharpie? Anyone ever seen a Kestrel chase and snatch
> an airborn dinner?
>  
> Carma gave me the Planet Earth series for Christmas. Nice slo-mo footage of
> Peregrines chasing and snatching bats! Gives a real perspective on how the
> wings and feet work together on this most-respected Falcon.
> John
> 
> 
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