While birding at Fort De Soto Park, I struck up a conversation with a local birder who mentioned that Nanday Parakeets could often be found in nearby Tampa. Intrigued, I immediately drove into the city to search for them. I found the parakeets, but the real treat came from an unexpected source. Perched atop a nearby pole was an American Kestrel — and it was feeding. In Pennsylvania, I see kestrels often, hovering above open farm fields as they scan for prey. But this was something different. This bird had captured a small lizard, likely a Brown Anole, one of Florida's most common prey species. As I watched, the kestrel shifted the lizard from beak to talon with practiced ease and began to tear into its meal. American Kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in speed, precision, and sharp vision. Watching one hunt and feed is always a privilege — but seeing it happen with prey I had never witnessed before made the moment unforgettable. Sometimes the best sightings come when you least expect them. I had driven to Tampa for parakeets, but it was this fierce little falcon and its lizard lunch that stayed with me long after I left.
Image 1 of 7
Image 2 of 7
Image 3 of 7
Image 4 of 7
Image 5 of 7
Image 6 of 7
Image 7 of 7
