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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 20,867 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 20,867 Likes: 6 |
Did it bite you while you were rescuing it? I mean good on you and everything but I'd have worn leather gloves.
Please don't feed the trolls!
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,271 Likes: 15
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,271 Likes: 15 |
Did it bite you while you were rescuing it? I mean good on you and everything but I'd have worn leather gloves. Not throwing any shade at you but kaywoodie seems like a throwback to when men were men.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,888 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,888 Likes: 2 |
Here’s one of the ones we have here I picked up in the field that hit a power line. Not much bigger than a dove. ![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/t4WxxFLr/ABAAA2-EA-2756-4866-B0-C1-864-C0-D141537.jpg) Cool pic. If I had the time and the space I’ve always thought that falconry would be something fun to get into. They used Peregrine falcons at RAF Mildenhall to chase birds and hares away from the runway. Once in a while on alert we'd go over to the fire department chow hall to eat (the base falconer also worked out of the same building), the falconer would be outside feeding his birds. Twas cool to watch them tear into frozen rat. Saw a Peregrine sitting in a tree along the side of 47 the other day when I was coming home from the Midland County Sportsman's club...
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10 |
Did it bite you while you were rescuing it? I mean good on you and everything but I'd have worn leather gloves. No. Was just trying to keep it from hurting itself anymore than it already was. Calmed down pretty quick after I picked it up. Least that’s what I thought. Hell it could have been going into shock for all I know. But it made the trip to Kendalia to the center just fine.
Founder
Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison?
And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools,
Being native burghers of this desert city,
Should in their own confines with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 7,537 Likes: 26
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 7,537 Likes: 26 |
Kestrels are Bad Ass!! Don't be dissing them .......![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/jSMsjNNB/Krestrel-and-Mouse.jpg)
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10 |
They are a cool creature for sure! Learned a lot today fellas. Thanks.
Founder
Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison?
And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools,
Being native burghers of this desert city,
Should in their own confines with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,490
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 1,490 |
Kestrels are Bad Ass!! Don't be dissing them ....... Great kestrel photo! Better than any I've taken so far. I'd rather have kestrels in my tree than the danged starlings that have pushed out "my" songbirds. ![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/qZybxyOh.jpg) Guy
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 29,052 Likes: 28
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 29,052 Likes: 28 |
They gotta eat too. I spend a lot of money feeding the birds and squirrels in my yard, and also have a lot of natural food growing here. We also get sharp-shinned, Coopers, and red-tailed hawks, along with great horned owls. They take a toll of the birds and rabbits for certain, even an occasional squirrel, but that’s just nature, and we enjoy that part of the display as well.
PETA would like to SSS hunters and fishermen too…..
About 30 years ago, we were visiting a friend’s farm when his Springer found a young Kestrel on the ground by the barn. We rescued the little killer from the dog and fed it raw hamburger for a while, until we discovered the nest in a hole in the barn siding. We drove a pickup up under that hole, and I climbed up and tucked the little bastard back in with its siblings.
What fresh Hell is this?
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,701 Likes: 47
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 25,701 Likes: 47 |
Cool pictures guys! Nice picture of the Kestrel Kaywoodie. 👍🏼 An owl hit our daughter’s friends car one night right by our house and they picked it up and took it to the local (45+ miles away) animal rescue and it was nursed back to good health and released. ![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/QtHrW6mk/68-F3-D2-C8-AE26-4-E53-AFFD-46-C16-A00-A6-E3.jpg)
�Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politician.� �General George S. Patton, Jr.
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~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 9,273 Likes: 3
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 9,273 Likes: 3 |
I thought kestrels ate like crickets and grasshoppers and such? Nothing really big. Guess I was misinformed Our kestrels here are stone cold killers. I’ve watched them take mourning doves out of the air and it is a violent violent intentional midair collision that always ends in a shower of feathers. It’s a badass bird that punches well above its weight! The Cooper's Hawks are the killing machines around my place. I inherited 30 homing Pigeons a few years ago... they were all dead within a few months because of them.
Proud NRA Life Member
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,279
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,279 |
I grew up calling them Sparrow Hawks and never knew they were Kestrels . I used to think they were hovering over grain fields hunting grasshoppers etc. until I would see them sitting on a corner post tearing apart mice and small birds.
They are one my favorite birds and would never shoot one! I think they are migrating about now here!
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Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,271 Likes: 15
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 10,271 Likes: 15 |
Here’s one of the ones we have here I picked up in the field that hit a power line. Not much bigger than a dove. Cool pic. If I had the time and the space I’ve always thought that falconry would be something fun to get into. They used Peregrine falcons at RAF Mildenhall to chase birds and hares away from the runway. Once in a while on alert we'd go over to the fire department chow hall to eat (the base falconer also worked out of the same building), the falconer would be outside feeding his birds. Twas cool to watch them tear into frozen rat. Saw a Peregrine sitting in a tree along the side of 47 the other day when I was coming home from the Midland County Sportsman's club... How do you like Midland County sportsman’s club? I’ve thought about a membership, mostly for the 600 yard range. I’m a longtime member of Linwood-Bay.
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22 |
Sooo,, it started out early this Spring. A pair of kestrels decided that a large Pine tree about 30' from our house was going to be their nesting spot. They flew around, giving their Kestrel Yakyakyak sound all the time while slowly getting ready for their nesting. At first, I loved it. So cool seeing them every day was a real treat. But I started to notice a real decrease in my bird sightings at my 4 feeders. Being the only year round resident here on this section of the Lake, I pull in tons of birds. Then the killings began to really take a toll - both the renters next door and myself began to find small bird parts on our lawns. I no longer had any birds at my feeders, even my Hummingbirds were not safe. As I stood on my deck enjoying the view of a Hummingbird, I got to see it plucked from the sky 6 feet in front of me. The pair hatched out 3 young ones and the day long Yakking was annoying as they trained them to hunt and dive. We no longer had any squirrels, chipmunks, hummingbirds and small birds. Even the Starlings and Grackles moved out. They managed to kill and eat a male Cardinal from a pair that have hung around our place for 4 years. Finally, about the end of August, they moved further down the Lake to new Hunting Grounds, but swing by our place every couple days to check for prey. The question now is, are we going to become an annual breeding/rearing location? Are we destined to forever not have song birds, hummingbirds and Chipmunks because they are around. We still don't have any birds at our feeders. Duh? And they will clean out blue birds, scissors tails and even bobwhites and blue quail. Getting old and not seeing too well sometimes I find a dove I dropped looks very similar.....
Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I Dindo Nuffin
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22 |
I thought kestrels ate like crickets and grasshoppers and such? Nothing really big. Guess I was misinformed And coyotes and cougars and woofs only take the old and lame. Come to think of it, you better carry when out on the place, KW. 
Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I Dindo Nuffin
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9 |
They are usually cavity nesters, it oughtta be possible to block the hole in that tree they are probably using. Otherwise a plastic owl with a bobbing head placed nearby might help.
We only get them where I’m at in winter. I’ve seen them hovering over buildings in the evening, even the little males, waiting for bats to emerge. We get a million free tailed bats here and they seem to be easy prey.
They fly to a tall perch or utility pole and tear out the guts. The bellies of the bats must be the easiest entry points.
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,888 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 15,888 Likes: 2 |
How do you like Midland County sportsman’s club? I’ve thought about a membership, mostly for the 600 yard range.
I’m a longtime member of Linwood-Bay. Love it. I've been a member there for over 20 years. They've made a lot of improvements over the years. You have to jump through a few hoops to get qualified on the 600 yard range but once you do you can use it by yourself.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,671 Likes: 10 |
I thought kestrels ate like crickets and grasshoppers and such? Nothing really big. Guess I was misinformed And coyotes and cougars and woofs only take the old and lame. Come to think of it, you better carry when out on the place, KW. Only place I really see em here on the 600 acres is in the field and it is always full of grasshoppers. So that bit of info made sense to me. Turkeys like em too The bird that destroys everything here are the damn roadrunners. If they can get it in their mouth they will eat it.
Founder
Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison?
And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools,
Being native burghers of this desert city,
Should in their own confines with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22
Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 96,108 Likes: 22 |
Ecc 10:2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the left.
A Nation which leaves God behind is soon left behind.
"The Lord never asked anyone to be a tax collector, lowyer, or Redskins fan".
I Dindo Nuffin
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9 |
Kestrels will eat grasshoppers all day long, whatever’s easiest in sufficient quantity. On migration when they’re riding the wind and thermals they catch dragonflies.
As far as roadrunners go I’ve seen one kill a snake, repeated strikes on the head blocking the snake strikes with its wings.
Ravens are fast becoming a common urban bird here. I’ve seen them go methodically from billboard to billboard looking for pigeon nests. Once I saw one flying off with a female scissortail in its beak, frantically mobbed by her mate. This was early morning, likely the raven snatched the scissortail while it was on the nest incubating eggs.
A few Swainson’s hawks now nest on tall buildings here, they are supposed to be birds of the treeless open plains catching rodents and grasshoppers. They are lighter than red tails so less dependent upon trees and other perches to hunt. In our city I’ve seen Swainson’s raid grackle nests in trees. Why it’s Swainson’s and not red tails doing this I dunno.
Anyways Cooper’s hawks are coming on strong here, might displace Swainson’s as grackle nest raiders.
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 37,973 Likes: 9 |
The Eurasian Sparrowhawk is an Accipiter intermediate in size between our Sharpshinned and Cooper’s hawks. One of the biggest size differences in any raptor, the males being small like Sharpshins the females being up in the Coopers range. Covering both bases by one species. That looks like a little male. Likewise the victim is an Eurasian Common Kestrel. Hunts by hovering like ours. It was likely on the ground taking a mouse when the sparrowhawk struck. Turnaround is fair play, there are accounts from England of a peregrine systematically hunting a female sparrowhawk.It was winter and the sparrowhawk was safe in down in a patch of trees where the peregrine would not follow. The peregrine just followed it around from above, staying above it so it did not feel safe. Eventually the sparrowhawk made a break for it across an open field and that was all she wrote. The settlers here misnamed our kestrel with the sparrowhawk name.
"...if the gentlemen of Virginia shall send us a dozen of their sons, we would take great care in their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them." Canasatego 1744
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