From Steve Gettle
“Eye Contact” - American Kestrel - Howell Nature Center, Howell, MI CC
The intense gaze of our smallest falcon the American Kestrel perched atop a stalk of mullein. This beautiful and relatively common raptor feeds on small rodents and large insects like grasshoppers and beetles.
Good Luck and Good Light! Steve
Image: American Kestrel - Howell Nature Center, Howell, MI CC
Nikon D500, 600mm with 1.4 tele-converter, 1/80th @ f10, ISO 1250, Image cropped 0% for final composition.
Kestrels are remarkably beautiful birds! I’ve had the pleasure to meet a few, and our center has one in our care now. Photos can’t do their plumage justice, and they look great from any angle.
Coelacanths are just evolutionary masterpieces. They have no natural predators, chill out at the bottom of the sea, inedible flesh that makes you sick if you eat them, why would they need to change? They’re perfect.
They’ve got to be doing something right!
I just think it’s so cool they are still here after all this time.
Turtles, crocodilians, sharks, etc have been around about as long, but to my knowledge they’ve all changed a good bit in the last 400ish million years, but coelacanths are still as coelacanthy as ever.