Kestrel's everyday lives #3

Today it was cloudy in the first half of the day, and it started to rain in the second half. During the rain, the kestrels sat each in their own "room" (= a ventilation hole). During the day, the future father brought mice to the future mother.

The pair has a constant behavioral pattern:

1. The female waits.
2. The male arrives with prey.
3. The male gives the prey to the female. The female flies to a separate "room" where she usually eats.
4. The female utters sounds of gratitude (for about 1 minute).
5. The female eats the prey. At this time, the male sits in the "room" and cleans his feathers.
6. After the prey is eaten, the male flies to the female. The act of love takes place, which lasts about 10 seconds. And he flies away.
7. The female, after sitting for about 10 minutes in the "feeding room", flies to the "nesting room".

While editing photos, I managed to find a great image of a pair of kestrels that I have been observing with my camera. It's easy to mistake this photo for a drawing - the angle of the shot is such. But, the main characters also know how to fly out of their "rooms" at completely unimaginable angles. The photo generated a lot of discussion on reddit.

The photo captures the moment when a male kestrel brings a mouse to the female. The female prepares to eat, while the male flies away. They use this ventilation hole as their dining table. The nest is located in another ventilation hole.

Posted on 28 de março de 2024, 05:40 PM by ikovalev