Today I had another opportunity for photos. Got some but they are too far away. Did witness it hunting smaller birds flying over the field. Then later I was out on the terrace talking on the phone wit my Mom. Noticed a whole lotta turkey vultures gathering in a swirl in the sky-just circling like a tornado. There were a good 300 and they just kept gathering from the west. When it got to be about 500 they moved further east to gather with another couple thousand we saw off in the distance!! Couldnt believe it!!! Wish I could have got a picture for you Kathy!! Earlier in the year we were on our way to church. (our church building is in the middle of a field on the SW section of the Mojave Desert). A "dog" passed in front of us just on the property border of our church. Well it was a coyote and it had a turkey vulture in it's mouth!!! Thought it WAS a turkey at first. It was good to see the wild doing so well in it's natural surroundings!!! Have a great Friday. Love, Jules

Hello Nancy, It might still be too cold for the snakes to be real active. Once it warms up you are more apt to see them out sunning themselves. My brother saw one (garter snake0 in his yard last week, but I imagine it is a lot warmer here in Maryland than up there in Michigan. I usually only see bald eagles during the fall migration. There are quite a few living along the Potomac River, where I usually go birding, but I haven't seen any along the river in a number of years. Probably due to the mild winter, the Washington area did not have as many visiting bald eagles this past winter. Richard

Yeah, the body parts can get to most people : ( Most raptors return to the same area, and many to the same nest site. But: I don't know about kestrels! Here's the thing: Someone will use that cavity, so it's a good idea to close it off after the bebes fledge. I am a bit confused by your last observation. American kestrels that are "immature" look pretty much like mature birds. You'd have to get a close look to see if they are really immature. You know, American kestrel populations have taken a hit recently, and I think it's because of poison (they are big insect eaters, and so suffer from secondary poisoning) and decline of suitable habitat and nest sites. I worked at a wild bird rehab center for over 10 years, and we noticed that many of the kestrel chicks we got were from cities, which was encouraging and rather startling, as these are birds that depend on grasslands for hunting. Here is a link that might be useful: AK info

Nice shot. I saw one kestrel on my hawk watching outing yesterday, but it sure wasn't close enough for a photo. Richard