For a while now I have been meaning to learn about some of the birds in our area.  I spent a while tonight with Google and Wikipedia and learned that have Red Tailed Hawks, which we knew, and lately juvenile Red Tailed Hawks.  We also have American Kestrels.

There were 3 or 4 (or more) adult Red Tailed Hawks that were constantly perching or hunting in the area right around our house during the winter and spring.  Lately they seem to have ventured elsewhere, because we have rarely seen them.  Lately there was a similar-sized bird around that looked a little different, and that is what prompted me to do the research tonight.  On the way home today from dinner out, one of these birds was sitting right beside the road and as we watched it, the bird picked up a mouse from its feet and swallowed it whole.  The kids enjoyed a real close look at this bird.  It looked very much like this picture from Wikipedia.  Btw, this picture is hilarious and it really looks like that mouse head is photoshopped.

Also lately there have been 7-10 smaller birds that look very similar to the adult Red Tailed Hawk, at least to my untrained eye.  Every morning for the last couple of weeks they are outside of the bathroom hunting playing and chasing each other.  These birds always hover with flapping wings when hunting for prey on the ground, and that behavior confirms them as the American Kestrel.  All of this group I see each morning appears from their coloration to be femail.