Kestrel in the Fields

It’s a beautiful fall day and I decide to head north to the Stony Kill Farm Environmental Farm Environmental Education Center in Wappingers Falls. The site is a 1000 acre working farm with a history dating back to the 18th century. My goal is to photograph some various species of sparrows which are often attracted to the community gardens which are located on the site. Many of the plants found here have gone to seed and attract a number of birds and sparrows in particular.

House sparrow - Stony Kill Farm-10-9-26

In spite of many reports of sparrow species galore here at the farm, I was only able to find two all too common species…the Song sparrow and the House sparrow. The latter were here in abundance, taking advantage of the seeds provided by the fall vegetation in the community gardens.

Young House sparrow - Stony Kill Farm - 10-9-26

The Song sparrows were also here in good numbers and their melodies were heard across the fields as I scanned for the more elusive species.

Song sparrow - Stony Kill Farm - 10-9-26

One big surprise found at the Community Gardens was this Great Blue Heron. I normally associate these huge birds with bodies of water of which few are found here. There is a nice pond at the entrance to the grounds, so I assume this bird had flown over here to the gardens in search of some pray that might be found here.

Great blue heron - Stony Kill Farm community garden - 10-9-26

As I left the gardens and moved out onto the road that cuts through the farm, I was quickly reminded that this is indeed a working farm.

Cow - Stony Kill Farm - 10-9-26

The cow was quite intrigued with me and granted me a nice portrait while I passed by. Just past the bovine subject out in the field on a fence post, I did notice something a bit more “natural” to photograph. A handsome male American kestrel was perched, scanning the fields for his next meal.

American kestrel - Stony Kill Farm - 10-9-26

Eventually, something of interest caught the eye of the little falcon and he took to the air, providing me with some excellent opportunities to photograph this master of the air in action.

As he surveyed the fields from above, he managed to pass almost directly overhead in nice lighting. Such a magnificent graceful flier, his aerobatics seem virtually effortless.

American kestrel - Stony Kill Farm - 10-9-26

And so, while I did not succeed in my quest for some more interesting sparrow species, I did get a marvelous chance to observe and photograph our smallest falcon in all his aerial glory. While most Kestrels migrate to the south during the winter, it is a fact that some of the males do remain in these northern environs during the colder months. So, is this a resident we will see later in the year, or is he simply passing through. A question only this individual can answer.