My lucky bonus shot!

Friday I went back to Fontainbleau hoping the owlets were still around, and the eagles. Both were. The owlets have flown and moved into another, less “open” tree and it’s definitely a trick to spot them! They blend right into the Spanish moss and live oak leaves. I got a few decent pictures, but when I went to see the eagles, I had no luck. I did see one of the adults fly over, too high for a shot, and the ranger confirms they are still around, just no luck for me in that regard! However, as I was leaving the access road where the eagle nest is visible, I spotted a smallish bird in a tree right beside the road. My lens is pretty heavy, and I usually use it with a tripod, but I had no time, so I just stuck the lens out the window (thankfully the car is hybrid – after a few seconds the gas shuts off and there is no engine vibration) and snapped. He stayed there for a moment so I decided to reset the controls (it was just on whatever I’d used last): however, when I stuck the lens out again, he flew over the car to where I couldn’t see him. BUT, this was the first time I’d seen a kestrel in the wild so I was still pretty happy, even with the so-so photo below…

Kestrel, Fontainebleu State Park, Mandeville, LA, 2009-Mar-06

All photos © Amy Friends Stone and all rights reserved.