Falco sparverius

We've been watching closely these past few weeks as a family of American Kestrels has moved into a birdhouse in the front yard.  We hear their calls as they fly through the fields: klee klee klee klee.  The baby birds have been squawking for weeks, so demanding.  My favorite kestrel quality is their ability to hover while they hunt, beating their wings quickly but staying in one place while they scan the fields below...so cool.

Alex took this great shot of a baby kestrel poking its head out.