PSA: I swore off birdwatching until I saw a kestrel hover 20 feet above a field

I always thought birdwatching was just old folks standing still with binoculars. Then last week I was driving through a farm in Vermont and spotted this tiny falcon just hanging midair like a drone. Turns out American kestrels can hover in place while hunting, and they do it by flapping crazy fast into the wind. I pulled over and watched for ten minutes, totally hooked. Now I'm looking up local Audubon groups and wondering if anyone else got into a hobby just because of one amazing moment outdoors.

2 comments

2 Comments

grant82623d ago

That kestrel trick got me too a few years back when I saw one hanging over a ditch on my mail route. I thought something was wrong with the bird until I looked it up later that night. Now I keep an old pair of binoculars in my truck and spot kestrels at least twice a week when the weather is right.

hugobarnes23d ago

That "old pair of binoculars in my truck" idea is genius actually. I just got a cheap pair from a pawn shop and keep them under my seat now too (not for kestrels specifically, but I've caught a few red-tails that way). It's funny how once you start looking, you see them all the time even when you're just driving.