American Kestrels

Eastport, Hamilton, ON. December 26 2022. The bitterly cold storm of this Christmas Day will be remembered for a long time by the many who had it hard. Perhaps surprisingly, with the wind’s direction in our favour, we got off lightly. Had we lived downwind of the lake we might well be digging our way out of a metre or two of snow.

Before lunch today I checked open water along the lakeshore, not really expecting much in the way of variety but rather just to enjoy the usual winter waterfowl, things like Long-tailed Ducks, White–winged Scoters, Common and Red–breasted Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes.  They were all there, drifting their way through winter.

I took the service road that skirts the rim of the industrial harbour and was lucky to glimpse a fast-flying sickle, – a small falcon. Merlin or Kestrel? I pulled over hoping to catch a better look, and luckily another one came up from behind me to land atop a streetlight a little further along. One quick look was all I got – an  American Kestrel, lovely! But the light was poor and it soon flicked away.

Although it’s six months off-season, I have the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas in mind and a pair of them nested in this area two summers ago, my hopeful suspicion is that these were the same birds and that they’ll nest again.

Later, on my return, I kept a watchful eye for the kestrels and was very pleased to spot one of them, rocking in the gusts at the top of a wind-torn tree. This time I had a better vantage point and much better light. He was busy ripping apart a rodent of some kind, far too busy refuelling to bother with onlookers like me. Such is the life, death and purpose of a roadside mouse – post-Christmas dinner for my Bird of the Day.