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The season for photographing American Kestrels in southern Arizona is drawing to a close. Our relatively small year-round population of these little falcons is greatly augmented by migrant birds during the autumn and winter months. Those birds have mostly headed back to their summer breeding territories. The remnant population has breeding on its mind as well. Kestrels are cavity nesters, so the females are mostly out of sight these days, brooding their eggs or hatchlings. It will be late September or October before I see kestrels again in abundance.
I was especially pleased, therefore, when I captured this image of a female perched atop a long-dead Eucalyptus tree a few days ago.
To my eye it is a striking image of this falcon, showing her fierceness but also rendering her in a unique pose. Her vertical position seems to make her an extension of the branch on which she perches.It likely will be many weeks before I have an opportunity as good as this one.
Image made with a Canon R5, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO II lens+Canon EF 1.4x telextender, M setting (auto ISO), ISO 1250, f6.3 @ 1/4000.
Sonoran Images 
Yes – a striking image. It almost looks like the bird is growing on the tree – that the bird and branch are one.
beautiful and stately striking image