Kestrel
A trip to Worcestershire mid April to hopefully photograph a Kestrel.
Was not expecting much but turned out quite a good day despite very cold Northerly winds and sunny intervals.
The Common Kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey reaching 32-35cm in length with a wing span measuring up to 80cm. In the UK, it is usually just referred to as the Kestrel, as it is the only kestrel species found in the UK. It is also known as the Windhover.
The Kestrel is the second most numerous bird of prey in the UK after the Buzzard, and is a familiar sight hovering beside roads and motorways or the edges of woodland as it searches for prey.
Adult male Kestrels have chestnut coloured upper parts with heavy black spots. Their rumps and tails are blue-grey and the tail has a black subterminal bar with white tips. The primary and secondary flight feathers are black, and they have yellow-brown underparts that are streaked with black.
Kestrels have blue-grey heads with a black moustache and their chins are white. The hooked grey bill has a black tip and yellow cere, the eyes are dark brown with a yellow eye-ring, and their legs and feet are bright yellow.
Female Kestrels are larger than the males and they have browner upper parts with dark bars. The lower back and rump are blue-grey and the tail is brown with black bars. The primary fight feathers are dark brown, and the secondaries are streaked with brown. On the head the crown and nape are brown with darker brown streaks.
Kestrel
A trip to Worcestershire mid April to hopefully photograph a Kestrel.
Was not expecting much but turned out quite a good day despite very cold Northerly winds and sunny intervals.
The Common Kestrel is a relatively small bird of prey reaching 32-35cm in length with a wing span measuring up to 80cm. In the UK, it is usually just referred to as the Kestrel, as it is the only kestrel species found in the UK. It is also known as the Windhover.
The Kestrel is the second most numerous bird of prey in the UK after the Buzzard, and is a familiar sight hovering beside roads and motorways or the edges of woodland as it searches for prey.
Adult male Kestrels have chestnut coloured upper parts with heavy black spots. Their rumps and tails are blue-grey and the tail has a black subterminal bar with white tips. The primary and secondary flight feathers are black, and they have yellow-brown underparts that are streaked with black.
Kestrels have blue-grey heads with a black moustache and their chins are white. The hooked grey bill has a black tip and yellow cere, the eyes are dark brown with a yellow eye-ring, and their legs and feet are bright yellow.
Female Kestrels are larger than the males and they have browner upper parts with dark bars. The lower back and rump are blue-grey and the tail is brown with black bars. The primary fight feathers are dark brown, and the secondaries are streaked with brown. On the head the crown and nape are brown with darker brown streaks.