Kestrelmania 2015 - Part 5

After spending so much time with kestrels on the Lower East Side, it was a pleasant surprise to find a family of them out on Governor's Island.  As it was late summer, I missed the child-rearing, but the parents and offspring (I'm not sure how many there were) stuck around after fledge time.









When ever I saw one of the Manhattan birds eating or feeding their chicks, the food was always baby birds or sparrows.  Each time I've seen a Governor's Island kestrel with food, it's been one of these:



The kestrels would perch in a high spot, like a pole, then dive down and scoop the insects up from the grass.  This one takes a grasshopper to the top of a loudspeaker for lunch.





It's great to see these birds adapting and thriving in the city.  They're beautifully tenacious little creatures.



See more kestrel photos on my Flickr page.

Previously:
Kestrelmania 2015 - Part 4
Kestrelmania 2015 - Part 3
Kestrelmania 2015 - Part 2
Kestrelmania 2015 - Part 1