| Actual Image
Nankeen Kestrel (26)
rcrick
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 710 W: 36 N: 1548]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif) (4989) | My wife and I decided to take a drive back to Moogarah Dam this morning; I was looking forward to getting some shot of the White Bellied Sea Eagle, and may be some other Kites.
We did spot several Whisterling Kites in the distance, and we also saw the Sea Eagle but they just didn’t come close enough to our position to get any decent shots.
Then by 10a.m the weather turned so we headed home, but the weekend is still young and I still have another Two days to go so hopefully we’ll head out tomorrow or Monday.
On the way back home I spotted this Kestrel sitting atop a road sign, not the perfect perch I know but what can you do; this is the first Nankeen Kestrel I’ve seen and photographed.
It is a slender falcon and is a relatively small raptor. The upper parts are mostly rufous, with some dark streaking. The wings are tipped with black. The under parts are pale buff, streaked with black, and the under tail is finely barred with black, with a broader black band towards the tip.
The females tend to be more heavily marked and have more rufous on the crown and tail. Males have a grayish crown and tail, although the extent varies between individuals. Females are larger than males. Young Nankeen Kestrels closely resemble the adult female, with heavier markings.
They are found in most areas of Australia and are also found on islands along Australia's coastline, as well as New Guinea and Indonesia.
The preferred habitats are lightly wooded areas and open agricultural regions and tend to be absent from dense forests. The Nankeen Kestrel's success as a bird of prey can be largely contributed to its tolerance for a wide variety of habitats and its ability to feed on a variety of foods and nest in a range of sites.
Some Nankeen Kestrels are partially migratory, others disperse in response to the availability of food and some are largely resident.
Its diet is varied. It mainly feeds on small mammals, reptiles, small birds and a variety of insects. Prey is located from a perch or by hovering a short distance above the ground on rapid wing-beats, using its fan-shaped tail as a rudder and keeping the head and body kept still. Once prey is spotted, the bird drops nearer to the ground until it is close enough to pounce. Some insects and birds may be caught in mid-air or snatched from tree branches.
The Nankeen Kestrel nests in a wide variety of sites, including tree hollows, caves, ledges on the outside of buildings, and occasionally on the ground. The nest consists of anything from a simple scrape in the dirt of a ledge or tree hollow, to a nest of sticks or mud that has been abandoned by another species of bird.
Pairs of Nankeen Kestrels usually stay together over successive breeding seasons, and will often use the same nest site or territory year after year. Usually only one brood of young is raised in a year. The female does the bulk of the incubation, while the male supplies the food.
Details; Shot Raw and converted to Jpeg, cropped and re-sized, re-sharpened for posting.
File Name IMG_0026.CR2
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark III
Shooting Date/Time 20/06/2009 10:40:08 AM
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/1250
Av( Aperture Value ) 14.0
Metering Mode Spot Metering
Exposure Compensation +2/3
ISO Speed 800
Lens 50-500mm
Focal Length 500.0 mm
Image Size 554x800
Image Quality Jpeg
Flash Off
White Balance Mode Custom
AF Mode AI Servo AF
Picture Style User Defined 1(Neutral)
Sharpness 4
Contrast 1
Saturation 2
Color tone 0
Color Space sRGB
Long exposure noise reduction 2:Enable
High ISO speed noise reduction 1:Enable
Highlight tone priority 0:Disable
File Size 85 KB
Drive Mode High-speed continuous shooting |
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