[Birdtalk] Kestrel/Junco behavior

[Connie McManus]

John,
I enjoyed reading about your observations.  I have not seen any of the
yardies defy a kestrel, but I have noticed they [the yardies] aren't as
alarmed by them.  It is puzzling. Out here in the farmlands where I live,
there are a lot of kestrels and other raptors.  I have never seen them come
down to a tree or buzz the birds that feed in my yard.  They prefer to perch
atop the telephone poles or on a power pole that is in my yard and dive for
the rodents.   A few weeks back a sharpie decided to perch in my crab apple,
at which time there was not so much as a single house sparrow to be seen
anywhere.  After the sharpie decided he was bored and left, all the birds
returned. So I concur with your observations --- the birds don't seem to
take the Kestrels as seriously as the sharpies and the harriers. You'd think
the kestrel would have no problem against a chickadee or a junco.  Maybe
they're buddies??  (just kidding)

-
Connie McManus
Nibley, Cache County, Utah



On Dec 31, 2007 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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