Kestrel Afield

Three days of kestrel-watching

A male American kestrel with a mouse.

Hovering over a vast expanse of farmland—its rapid wingbeats keeping it steady as a drone—the American kestrel looked like it was flickering. Because they cannot hover purely by their own power, the way a hummingbird does, kestrels do what’s called “windhovering.” I watched the slight raptor work in conjunction with …