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A_Peke_Named_Goat t1_j2rmi9f wrote

American Kestrels are probably my favorite bird. I haven't had a chance to see one in these parts, so very cool.

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FGoose OP t1_j2rt4nl wrote

If you are in Philly there is a mated pair at pennypack on the Delaware year round. Bring binoculars and check out the soccer fields. They love perching on the goal posts. They are very hard to photograph but they are easy to spot with binoculars. They are easily my favorite raptors.

It was beautiful near the beginning of the fall this year as they had a brood of like 4 chicks. So you could see 5 of them on the goal posts at one time. It was so joyful.

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A_Peke_Named_Goat t1_j2rz7ol wrote

I will definitely do that.

I have a good memory of driving from Columbus to Toledo, OH in the late fall. Its flat as hell there with no major highway so its just 2-lane roads through farmland with fences and utility poles along the road. There must have been one kestrel posted up on a pole looking for its next meal every mile for a while there. It was awesome.

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hexadevil t1_j2miebb wrote

Not a kestrel but a sharp-shinned hawk. Note the rounded wing shoulders and the notched tail. They are also larger than a kestrel. Subtle differences between two very cool birds of prey. Nice photo!

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FGoose OP t1_j2mipm2 wrote

This is 100 percent a male American kestrel. There is a nesting pair at the park year round. The coloration is that of a kestrel as well as the call and the size. I know the lighting in the pic isn’t great and his plumage is puffed out but I assure you that you are incorrect.

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hexadevil t1_j2mjp6f wrote

Fair enough. He looks big in the pic and the notch in the tail could just be the way he’s sitting. The notch is usually the giveaway that it’s the hawk. They are pretty hard to tell apart unless you see the bird in the air.

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FGoose OP t1_j2mkcmx wrote

No worries! Raptor identification can be particularly difficult especially with regional variants, dimorphism, similar plumage, etc. I still have difficulty differentiating sharp shin and Cooper hawks. Just a few weeks ago I mistook a Merlin for a kestrel on a rainy day.

Birding can be a really challenging hobby.

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