Ron Canterbury asked me to post this to the list for him... I am glad to see the discussion on American Kestrels. At one of my research sites in eastern KY (Ashland, Boyd Co.) my assistants and I have banded 4 kestrels over the past three years. They have learned to take birds out of our mist nets placed near some bird feeders, and have often forced us to hault the banding on some days (when kestrels are hunting in the vacinity). One particular male kestrel a few years ago decapitated two birds, including an American Goldfinch, before we were able to close the nets. After closing the nets, we placed the dead birds near the bird feeders, and the kestrel came back and retrieved its (free) meal. At this site, I've also seen kestrels capturing and consuming Mourning Doves, which are about the same size as the kestrel. I have seen a decline in kestrel numbers on WV CBCs, and have counted kestrels for 15 years along Rt. 23 extending between Ashland, KY and Portsmouth, OH, as well as along 23 north from Portsmouth to Lucasville and Waverly and other areas. Enjoy the birds, and happy fall and winter birding to all. - Ron Ronald A. Canterbury Department of Biological Sciences University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45221-0006 Voice: 513.556.9570 Fax: 513.556.5299 E-mail: [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]