American Kestrel

Description:

Note the short tail of this young bird that is not quite ready for full flight.

Habitat:

Fledged from a nest in a large, limestone-faced building on a 16-acre campus of government buildings.

Notes:

This young Kestrel has just fledged from its nest at the West Virginia State Capitol building (photographed in this spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/122... ). While on the ground and getting its bearings, it was mobbed by Blue Jays and American Robins. The parents were observed mating in mid- to late-March that spring.