The American Kestrels of Joe Overstreet Road embody the typical behaviors of their species—they are exceedingly skittish. In fact, they are among the most cautious of the bird species. A single approaching car would be enough to send them leaping from their perch and flying off into the distance.  However, kestrels are creatures of habit when it comes to their favorite perches and, with patience, you'll often see them return to their preferred spots once they perceive the danger has passed.

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Luckily for me, one particular kestrel, a striking little lady, favored a photogenic tree snag, darting back and forth between this perch and a less picturesque overhead wire. (While kestrels typically hunt from high perches where they watch for prey, they are equally adept at hovering in midair when a suitable perch isn't available.)

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This beautiful kestrel also appeared to have an eye injury, noticeable in a a couple of the photos below.  Remarkably, her impairment didn’t hinder her hunting prowess, as shown in the final photo where she brought a large grasshopper back to her favorite perch.

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American Kestrels hold the distinction of being North America’s smallest falcons. Despite their diminutive size, they are related to the much larger Peregrine Falcon—renowned as the fastest animal on Earth! They also stand out as one of only three raptor species in North America where males and females exhibit distinct plumage. Male kestrels display slate-blue wings with a single black bar on orange tail feathers, while females feature orange-hued wings adorned with multiple black bars on their orange tails.

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