We stopped on a dirt road south of Clam Lake and I strained my ears to hear the high-pitched tittering emanating from the trees. With no luck spotting the noisy little birds, I turned around and noticed Jan's binoculars pointed in the other direction.
I lifted my binoculars and quickly focused on a familiar silhouette. The small head, long tail, and fluffed body belonged to a chilly American Kestrel. I was excited to see our ambassador bird's wild counterpart and couldn't help exclaiming, "it's an Aldo!"
This bird probably won't stay in Clam Lake for long. Kestrels in northern Wisconsin migrate south for the winter and are known as "leapfrog migrants." As he travels south, he will "leap over" resident birds with established territories in the central United States and settle perhaps in Florida, Texas, or Mexico.
The male, who Jan now had lined up in the spotting scope, seemed to be taking a late start on his migration. I shivered under my winter jacket and understood why his feathers were fluffed out for warmth. Most kestrels passed through Duluth in September but, despite the cold, this male could stick around as long as he has a food source. I was willing to bet that he would nab one of the songbirds in the bushes for breakfast.
A late migration is typical for male kestrels. When he arrives on the wintering grounds, he will likely find that juveniles and females beat him there. They'll have claimed the prime territories with open, grassy areas. This male will have to fly farther south and probably settle for a woody habitat where he will feast on more birds than females do.
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