Stopped at Arid Lands on the way home from WA yesterday, and was lucky to catch a couple of young Kestrels looking very photogenic in the light rain.
It had rained most of the way from Ceduna and only let up a few Ks before Pt Augusta so it was touch and go as to whether it would be worth stopping. Happy that we did as the Arid Lands Gardens were devoid of people so the two young birds were quite relaxed.
Great shots Rick. I really like the birds of prey. They are awesome to watch when their on the hunt.
Rob.
Great shots as usual Rick. You seem to have been on the same level as the birds?
Samford Valley Qld.
Thanks Rob,Reflex.
Surprisingly the birds were perched in a low dead tree only about 2m from the ground.
I put it down to young and naive
Great shots again, Rick.
I find the females will let me get very close but the males will not.
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
I've seen adults on a dead stump <1m from the ground, so I'd say it's fairly common
Ryu
Canberra
Aiming for DSLR-quality shots with a bridge camera
Thanks Ryu,
Probably has most to do with their comfort level. I've seen the same in adults but they have been very wary.
These two birds were quite comfy with me slowly approaching to within about 5m.
Having said that got to within about 5m of an adult Australian Hobby last year so who knows, might just be the feeling on the day.
Cheers