{"id":78780,"date":"2021-02-03T06:28:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T13:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=78780"},"modified":"2025-11-23T06:34:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T12:34:26","slug":"winter-female-american-kestrel-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/02\/03\/winter-female-american-kestrel-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Female American Kestrel Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EarlyEarly morning female American Kestrel resting on a rock \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/320, ISO 1000, +0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday morning I was able to take female American Kestrel photos from the causeway to Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> twice. The first time was on my way onto the island and the second time was leaving to head home.<\/p>\n

Both times had it not been for my keen eyesight and my habit of paying attention I might have missed out on taking these photos.<\/p>\n

I spotted this adult female American Kestrel as she zoomed across the the causeway and noticed that she had landed on the rocks near the first bridge. The kestrel was resting on a rock in the shadows.<\/p>\n

Some bird photographers may not have taken photos of the resting female kestrel because she was in the shadows but with the right choice of exposure settings this small falcon stands out well on my screen.<\/p>\n

If I hadn’t told you would you have known she was photographed in the shadows caused by rocks and vegetation on the east side of the bridge? Probably not.<\/p>\n

I liked all of the images I took of this female America Kestrel resting on the rock.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult female American Kestrel back view \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

This female American Kestrel may or may not be the same female shown in the photo above. I spotted this kestrel perched next to the road on one of the reflectors next to the pavement not far from where I had photographed the kestrel resting on a rock earlier in the morning. It is possible that it is the same bird and it is just as possible that she is a different individual. They look alike so I can’t say for certain either way.<\/p>\n

What I can say for sure is that this beautiful, little falcon gave me a great view of her colorful backside, face and eye in this pose.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult female American Kestrel perched on a wildflower stalk \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

When the American Kestrel took off from the reflector she landed on a wildflower stalk not far from the road. She was actively looking around for prey at this point in time and tipping her tail up and down ever so slightly. It was my hope to photograph her as she lifted off to go after prey.<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFemale American Kestrel lifting off \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1600, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited<\/span><\/p>\n

My hope was realized in the next frame. I was able to photograph her as she turned and lifted off with her wings almost straight above her head and body. By the time I took the next image she had turned her head away from me. I took a few more images of this American Kestrel<\/span><\/a> on a different perch before I left for home.<\/p>\n

I checked the date of what was my last visit to Antelope Island to find and photograph birds because I couldn’t recall how long it had been since I had been there. The last time I had been to the island was on September 28, 2020 to see my friends Jim and Nancy DeWitt who were camping there. A lot has changed since my last trip to the island. Those changes are a topic I may write about on another day, another time.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

To view more of my American Kestrels photos plus facts and information about this species click here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday morning I was able to take female American Kestrel photos from the causeway to Antelope Island State Park twice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":164641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,511,27,1022,26],"tags":[4004,155,58,5180,3981,4199,4078,4279,5632,4070,4052,4122,6276,4892,4282,4944,4104,153,4156,4921,4470,6181,30,373],"class_list":["post-78780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-kestrel","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-american-kestrel","tag-antelope-island-sp","tag-back-view","tag-davis-county","tag-falco-sparverius","tag-falcon","tag-falcons","tag-falcons-of-utah","tag-female","tag-flight","tag-flying","tag-kestrel","tag-kestrels","tag-lift-off","tag-lifting-off","tag-perched","tag-raptors","tag-resting","tag-rock","tag-rocks","tag-stalk","tag-utah-2","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-adult-female-flight-mia-mcpherson-1361.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-kuE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12964,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/01\/09\/male-american-kestrel-resting-near-the-shore-of-the-great-salt-lake\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":0},"title":"Male American Kestrel Resting Near The Shore Of The Great Salt Lake","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I was going to do a post about a Bald Eagle this morning but at the last minute had a change of mind and decided to work up this male American Kestrel that I photographed resting near the shore of the Great Salt Lake.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Kestrel resting near the shore of the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-salt-lake-mia-mcpherson-7510.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3957,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/01\/06\/a-preening-american-kestrel-friday-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":1},"title":"Preening American Kestrel ~ Friday Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"American Kestrels hold a special interest for me, they are North America's smallest falcon but what they lack in size they make up for in attitude. These falcons can be fiesty.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male American Kestrel resting on rabbitbrush, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-mia-mcpherson-4151.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-mia-mcpherson-4151.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-mia-mcpherson-4151.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-mia-mcpherson-4151.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4314,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/02\/05\/female-american-kestrel-eating-a-vole-graphic\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":2},"title":"Female American Kestrel Eating A Vole (Graphic)","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"There are times when photographs speak for themselves, they tell a story or show behavior and with my bird and wildlife photography they also show the natural cycle of life. These images may be gruesome for some to view but they show this falcon's natural behavior quite well.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female American Kestrel balancing while eating, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-female-eating-mia-mcpherson-0880.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-female-eating-mia-mcpherson-0880.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-female-eating-mia-mcpherson-0880.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-female-eating-mia-mcpherson-0880.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15243,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/30\/american-kestrel-male-on-frosty-rabbitbrush\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":3},"title":"American Kestrel Male On Frosty Rabbitbrush","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I know a lot of people are suffering because of the heat of summer so I though I would post an image of a male American Kestrel perched on a frosty Rabbitbrush.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Frosty rabbitbrush and a male American Kestrel, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-rabbitbrush-male-mia-mcpherson-1693.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-rabbitbrush-male-mia-mcpherson-1693.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-rabbitbrush-male-mia-mcpherson-1693.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-rabbitbrush-male-mia-mcpherson-1693.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8507,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/02\/hovering-american-kestrel\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":4},"title":"Hovering American Kestrel Male In Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Hovering Kestrel shots aren't easy to capture without baiting or using decoys, part of that is because I can't tell when a kestrel might get it in its mind to hover for prey, the other part is being in the right place at the right time.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hovering American Kestrel male, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-hovering-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-hovering-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-hovering-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-hovering-mia-mcpherson-3637.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6801,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/12\/16\/male-american-kestrel-lifting-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":78780,"position":5},"title":"Male American Kestrel Lifting Off","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 16, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"There is something about American Kestrels that speaks to me. They might be our smallest falcon in North America but they have big attitudes, fierce characters and are terrific hunters.","rel":"","context":"In "American Kestrels"","block_context":{"text":"American Kestrels","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/falcons\/american-kestrel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male American Kestrel lifting off from a post, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-7976.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-7976.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-7976.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/american-kestrel-male-lift-off-mia-mcpherson-7976.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}