Although solo Kestrels are not uncommon around here, we have observed some new behavior. For the past 2 days, two of them, who appear to be male and female, seem to be flirting with one another. One perches on the top of an old pine skag in one field and the other on another dead tree in another field. They call and answer each other repeatedly, then fly toward each other, passing in mid-air and go to the other's perch. They go back and forth, then fly to other tree tops - continuing their calling out and answering behavior, and return to their original posts.
Nancy, I don't know what they're doing, but I had a pair of sharp-shinned hawks showing the same type of behavior here (last year). My guess is that they were reinforcing their pair bond before migrating. Kestrels form long-lasting pair bonds and so do sharpies, and they were probably reaffirming that bond even though it's not mating season.
Jill
Benton, ME
Canon Digital Rebel XT
Canon EF70-300 F4-5.6 IS USM
it is known that kestrels disperse and migrate in pairs or triplets of 1st yr birds. the chasing is play...as is the calling. i doubt they will stick around, but kestrels can be hard to id.
