Friday's Foto

Since I began this weekly feature, I think the American Kestrel has graced "Friday's Foto" at least once a year. This small, colorful falcon is so photogenic, how could I not? Over the past two weeks they have been migrating through Brooklyn in large numbers. Many will continue north, some will remain and breed locally. Slightly larger than an American Robin, the kestrel primarily eats insects, small rodents and, occasionally, small birds. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, "Despite their distribution and relative abundance throughout much of the eastern United States, Kestrel numbers have significantly and steadily declined in the past fifty years, particularly in the Northeast."