American Kestrel

I've been trying to capture some decent images of these guys on the way home from work over the past week. These are the best I've managed. All shot from the window of the car. Major cropping needed because of the limited reach of the 70-200 and the very wary nature of the birds. There are three or four pair that hang out along a three mile stretch of road.

It was a cold wet afternoon and I watched this guy hover a few times. Don't know how successful he/she was but the grass below had his/her full attention.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/s3om​ca JMacLean_JPEG_IMAGES-11.jpg by macleanj77, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/s3rT​jZ JMacLean_JPEG_IMAGES-.jpg by macleanj77, on Flickr

One of my favourite of the afternoon was watching him dive from his perch in a nearby tree. They are such a colourful bird.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/s3om​pV JMacLean_JPEG_IMAGES-24.jpg by macleanj77, on Flickr

And I lucked out on this one. It wasn't until I cropped the image that I saw the back legs and tail of a mouse of vole that he had successfully snagged.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/s3oj​Pa JMacLean_JPEG_IMAGES-22.jpg by macleanj77, on Flickr

I know there is tons of room for improvement in these. . . Camera shake and low light are the biggest hurdles for me right now with the 70-200 F4, non-IS lens. But that is my reality right now. Advice welcome on ways to improve.