15th August - Kestrel - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

I had come to Old Winchester Hill today primarily for the butterflies, but Old Winchester Hill is also excellent for providing eye level and looking down views of birds of prey and today, with a northerly wind blowing and providing an updraft on the north slopes of the hill fort, the Kestrels were performing.  There were three immature birds hunting together and an adult male keeping well away, but also using the wind to hunt.  This post is a complete portfolio of the Kestrels, the butterflies and views will be the subject of my next post.

On reaching the hill fort I came across the adult hovering just over the slope of the moat on the north side of the fort.  Several hovers and drops into the grass ended up with the bird gliding up on the wind and past me across the fort,

A little further along the three immature birds were hunting over the grassland in front of a line of dying Ash trees.  At first I thought there were four Kestrels but it soon became clear there was a Sparrowhawk amongst them.

The kestrels were flying and the view I had was with the harvested field below them, the fort allowing me to look down on them

This looks like an immature Sparrowhawk and there did not appear to be any real animosity from either the Kestrel or the hawk they would just interact in the sky, maybe the Sparrowhawk mistook the Kestrels for another Sparrowhawk, it was interesting to watch.

Here the Sparrowhawk flew into the Ash tree where one of the Kestrels was perched and briefly settled next to the Kestrel.

I left the young birds and went off on my butterfly hunt.  On my way back I came across the Kestrels once again and this time they were showing very well close to me.

Here the Kestrel flew past me at eye level and appears to be watching me as as much I was watching it.

This provides some idea of how I was looking down on the Kestrels.

Sadlu a background of dead Ash trees.

Headless but it has something with the immature checkered plumage and brown of the harvested field below.

I picked this immature Kestrel hovering over the slope of the fort, with the grasses and flowers blurred in the foreground.

Looking out to the north once more one of the young Kestrels drifted past me heading back to the area where I had first seen them.

I walked on and picked up the adult male Kestrel in the area of the slope that drops down and around to the steep hill.  At first it was perched in a conifer, but then took off and flew past me.

Banking at me.

Hovering in the corner as the path drops down and this allowed ne to get to eye level with the Kestrel.  There was no movement in the wings to hover, just the wind ruffling the feathers.

After an unsuccessful hunt it regained height once more without any effort and then flew past me.  I like to think it was watching me as it did so.

A wonderful experience an the vantage point of the fort provides an excellent opportunity to really appreciate the flying skills of this lovely little falcon.