Falco tinnunculus
Falco tinnunculus
Written by Thursday, 05 February 2009 00:00
“"Or have you mark'd a partridge quake, viewing the towering falcon nigh? She cuddles low behind the brake: nor would she stay; nor dares she fly." Matthew Prior
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Falco tinnunculus (Family: Falconidae; common name: Common Kestrel) The Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel, Eurasian Kestrel, or Old World Kestrel. In Britain, where no other brown falcon occurs, it is generally just called "the kestrel". This species occurs over a large range. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as occasionally reaching the east coast of North America. But although it has colonized a few oceanic islands, vagrant individuals are generally rare; in the whole of Micronesia for example, the species was only recorded twice each on Guam and Saipan in the Marianas.(1) I saw this bird during our visit to Chester zoo. At that time I was taking some pictures of a duck when I noticed a bird, seemingly orange on the top, flying towards a tall tree some 30 meters away. I was impressed by the fact that the bird didn’t move its wings during the last 50 meters of its flight, something quite unusual so I wanted to see what kind of bird it was. I managed to reach under the tree – the kestrel was sitting on a branch 15 m high – and took the first photo paying much attention on the correct focusing on the lens, since I was sure the bird would leave the branch immediately after the first photo as I was using fill in flash. To my surprise the bird didn’t move allowing me to take 5 more photos. Luckily, the shutter speed in use was set to be quite high (1/1000) so, when it finally decided to leave that branch I was able to take a nice shot, with one feet still on the branch, wings already open. It landed on another branch some 20 m away, his back facing me but his head turned backwards, watching my every move. The large distance (over 30 m) made fill in flash impossible and the strong side / back light resulted in black figures with some detail on one side of the bird. I chose the picture that showed more detail. Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos Camera: Nikon D300 1. Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/9, Shutter priority mode 2. Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/9, Shutter priority mode 3. Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/6.3, Shutter priority mode 4. Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/6.3, Shutter priority mode 5. Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/11, Shutter priority mode
(1) Wikipedia |
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Common Kestrel II We have been trying for a while to get a shot of the common kestrel in the environmental resort of Strofylia in Peloponesos, Greece. We have identified a number of birds who usually fly down from the hills to catch their pray in the valley or the lake. This proved to be difficult; the birds were never close enough to us to take a decent shot. We were thus pleasantly surprised to see the first bird sitting on an olive tree in a village outside Korinthos. This female was hiding amongst the foliage and watching the canal nearby, clearly ambushing for food. The bird in the second and third photos is an inhabitant of Strofylia. The electric wires on the road leading to the main road offer a vantage point for observation. The birds usually fly in a hurry if a passing by car stops so we stayed inside the car for the shooting session. The bird took its time to watch us to ensure we were not likely to move suddenly towards it, which allowed us to take a number of shots. After watching us for a while, during which time she kept tipping her tail, she flew away. Photos by Mahi Goula and George Parchas 1. Camera: Nikon D80 2, 3. Camera: Nikon D80 |
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