Hovering to Hunt

There is a lead-up behaviour story relating to this kestrel that might be of interest to readers in the previous Blog, It relates to a series of events preceding the start of its hunting sequence posted below,

I have been working with this female Kestrel on and off for the last seven years and watched her raise twenty four fledglings,  Yesterday was my first sighting of her since last July last year and she treated me to some really close hovers as she hunted an entire rough grass field for voles over a thirty minute period, Light levels were still low but from behind me and the bird was quite close through much of its hunting period,

She stopped briefly after twenty minutes resting on a favoured boundary wall post then returned to the hunt until she found her prey a few minutes later in a tangled mass of hedgerow,  She then immediately took flight heading towards her roost with the vole classically hanging from one set of talons in what always looks like a casual manner,

I intend to follow this incredible bird throughout its breeding season again this year but any blogs relating to it will with the reasons why be published at a later date.

Peregrine v Chough & Kestrel

 On a sunday My wife Heather and I often take a walk along our local stretch of coast line,  We walk from Rosudgeon down through Chiverton farm and Trevean hamlet and come out onto the coast at Trevean Cove which has a memorable and ever changing view of St Micheil's Mount.

Heather takes a carrier bag for collection flotsam and jetsam from the shore,  She is working her way through a three year BA [HONS] Textile Design degree studying  Weave, Mixed Media & Print at Falmouth University and uses all sorts of weird finds in her current Mood board project on a theme titled  'The Sea', 

I take my camera and usually head for the clifftops backing the cove which is an excellent location for picking off images of larger birds hanging off of the up-draughts when the winds range from southeasterly through to westerly. 

The Sky's were very overcast today which tends to turn lots of skyward images into silhouettes but I ended up with some rather surprising shots anyway,  First up was a pair of Noisy Chough which could be heard before coming into view around an easterly headland.  The nearest known pair usually operate around Trewavas Head which is not that much farther around the coast to the east,

Fifteen minutes later I thought they were coming back in the opposite direction only to realise  [ Just in time to grab one chase shot that was in focus ]  that it was in fact a Peregrine in pursuit of one chough which escaped by the skin of its teeth,

I have never seen a Peregrine at this location before and I tracked it as it gained height to hang on the wind waiting for another opportune moment to attack another unsuspecting bird but the tables were turned when a female Kestrel well known to me as Kate came swooping in to side swipe the Peregrine at close quarters catching it off guard,  She came around again but the Peregrine and I were both ready and the kestrel pulled out at the last second which I think was a good call.

The Peregrine departed shortly afterwards in the direction of Perranuthnoe and was not seen again but Kate moved in low over the fields behind me moving up and down the field for thirty minutes until she finally caught a vole,  She providing me with a better set of images with the light coming from behind me which I will use to illustrate another Blog on the Kestrel some time tomorrow

                          She was a smart bird to see off the Peregrine before starting any hovering !!