American Kestrel Photos

Photography by Terry Sohl

My Favorite: American Kestrels are a pretty common species in South Dakota. They're here all year, but numbers are much lower in the winter, particularly as you move northward in the state. However, despite their year-round presence, I don't have that many photos of them in the state. The reason...they are SPOOKY AS HELL!! The typical scenario is that I see an American Kestrel perched on a fence post or telephone line in the distance, and before I get anywhere close to photo distance, the bird flushes and flies away.

One day driving back home near the Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon, South Dakota, the same situation was seemingly playing out. I saw a bird on a fence post in the distance, and as I got closer, could see it was a gorgeous male American Kestrel. I put the camera in my lap, fully expecting the bird to flush before I got anywhere close, except...it...didn't!! Granted it was only 2 or 3 seconds after I got in good photo range, and then the bird flew, but before it left I was able to grab the photo below, with the Kestrel giving me one last over-the-shoulder look before it took off for good.

American Kestrel - Falco sparverius


American Kestrel 1	American Kestrel 2	American Kestrel 3	American Kestrel 4
February 5th, 2006	March 18th, 2006	March 18th, 2006	August 13th, 2009
Big Sioux Recreation Area, South Dakota	Outskirts of Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Outskirts of Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Near Garretson, South Dakota
Adult male in brilliantly colorful plumage, posing on a fence post	Female with freshly caught mouse	Female with freshly caught mouse	Juvenile poking its head out from a nest box

American Kestrel 5	American Kestrel 6	American Kestrel 7	American Kestrel 8
August 13th, 2009	August 13th, 2009	August 13th, 2009	August 13th, 2009
Near Garretson, South Dakota	Near Garretson, South Dakota	Near Garretson, South Dakota	Near Garretson, South Dakota
Adult male perched at the entrance of a nest box	Adult male feeding young at entrance of a nest box	Adult male feeding young at entrance of a nest box	Adult male taking flight from a nest box, with young looking on

American Kestrel 9	American Kestrel 10	American Kestrel 11	American Kestrel 12
December 7th, 2010	April 22nd, 2011	April 22nd, 2011	November 11th, 2015
Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona	Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Minnehaha County, South Dakota	Coronado National Forest, Arizona
Pale adult male from the Desert Southwest, perched on tree top	Female, perched on a telephone wire	Female, perched on a telephone wire	Pale Female of the Desert Southwest, perched on a stick