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Hit or Miss - American Kestrel
by Wilhelm J. Goebel
16 ¼ by 20
Framed Size 26¼" by 30"
| A/P
Limited Edition of 76 $160.00 |
Framed in Walnut Frame with Gold Lip Shown Above $330.00 |
| Framed in Oak Frame Click Here To See Frames $330.00 |
Framed in Classic Walnut Click Here To See Larger $330.00 |
Conservation Framing
Each double mat may vary
from print to print according to which frame you choose. If you
would like to
have a particular color of mat just email sales@watsonswildlife.com to place
your order. The best matching color is used for
each individual print and is not always the color shown here.
Each
print is framed using Conservation Acid Free & Lignin Free,
Alkaline pH buffered mat board & backing.
We use non glare glass, You may call us to request regular glass if you like, Other styles of glass are available.
In conservation framing, We use
only Museum Quality materials and procedures
that will have no adverse
effects on a piece of artwork and will protect the artwork from
external damage.
Kestrels are efficient hunters and able to prey on a variety of small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews. They have the ability to hover like helicopters above their hunting grounds and target prey from high above. In this painting, I've shown a male kestrel dropping in on an unsuspecting meadow vole. The old fence post gives the composition a strong diagonal force, which lends a sense of momentum to the bird. The vole is situated at the entrance to one of its tunnels. Whether the kestrel is successful at its strike-and often they are not-is left for you to decide.
The American Kestrel, a small raptor (9-12") found in most of North America, lives along borders of woodlands, open fields, pastures with scattered trees, on western plains with trees and shrubs, and also utility poles. It nests in old tree-nesting holes of flickers, hollows in trees, holes in cliffs, and even in man-made nesting boxes.
Kestrels have a wing span of 20-24" and are distinguished by the dark whisker-like marks on their cheeks, pointed wings, and rufous-red back and tail. Males have blue-gray wings and females, which are larger than males, have brown wings.
While perched, this raptor moves its tail up and down; the size and this pumping behavior are enough to identify the bird on a perch. Hunting in the morning or late afternoon, it hovers over prey - insects, mice, birds, lizards, small snakes and frogs - before swooping down and catching it with its small, strong claws.
A clutch of 4-5 eggs is laid between April and June. Incubation for 29 to 30 days is done mostly by the female; during this time, the females are fed by the males. Thirty to 31 days after hatching the young are ready to leave the nest to go out on their own.
