Birds of Prey in my Small Corner of the Prairie

This lovely bird in flight is a Prairie Falcon. There are quite a few of them here in my area. They prey largely on mice, which is a bonus because there are quite a few of them also. I see more falcons in the fall, but i can always hear their distinct cry while they soar on the wind currents looking for their next kill. I managed to get a couple of good silhouette photos of this bird 👍

Beauty and grace is how i would describe watching this falcon soar the sky above me

In this close up, I was so happy to capture fine details such as the angle of his head and flight feathers.

Here, you can clearly see an open beak as he screeches his piercing cry. A clear indication for prey animals to take cover!

It was not an easy task to get these photos. My target was in perpetual motion haha 😊

Now say hello to the smallest of falcons, the American Kestrel
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/overview#

 "It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail"

This little guy sat perched on my shed and i was able to get some good shots :)
I found a lot of information on these falcons on this website:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel/overview#

 "It can be tough being one of the smallest birds of prey. Despite their fierce lifestyle, American Kestrels end up as prey for larger birds such as Northern Goshawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barn Owls, American Crows, and Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, as well as rat snakes, corn snakes, and even fire ants."

He decided I was too close for comfort and flew to a different perch further away. I was thrilled to get these photos because it was my first sighting of this falcon!

The last bird of prey i have to show is an owl. He is perched on top of the power pole in my back yard. It has been a challenge to get photos of the owls here. They seem to be very elusive and of course are nocturnal which makes things more difficult. I have a close up shot of him in the next 2 pics. I thought this photo was so pretty at sunset. I wanted to share it even though you would not have known there was an owl hidden in it.

His glowing eyes give away his location and you can clearly see where he is perched from the first photo.

When he flew down to a lower perch, the lighting improved for photos and the beautiful colors of the sunset came through nicely :)