by Donna Lewis
This beautiful falcon (American Kestrel, Falco sparverius) was sitting on top of my Martin House pole this past week. It was cold and windy. He hovered over the ground and came up with a small rodent and then perched on the fence to have lunch. When I went outside to get a better photo, he took off.
However, he has been back every day this week. Must like the mice here.
The nickname of Sparrow Hawk is a misnomer. He is not a hawk and rarely eats sparrows. The kestrel prefers rodents, reptiles, frogs, insects and the smaller bats like the Mexican Free Tailed Bat.
If you can get a closer look at him, he is beautiful!!! Some of the Egytian drawings on tombs show many hawks, cranes, ducks and falcons. One God was Re-Horakhty the lord of the sky; he looked like a Falcon.
This bird is common all over the US and likes open fields.
Right now you can see them perched on the overhead wires looking for a meal.
Nature Along the El Camino Real 