Red-headed Woodpecker and American Kestrel 10/30/2022

A wonderful early morning at Appleton Farms visiting the popular and scarce Red-headed Woodpecker as it looked for insects and cached acorns in its favorite tree. This species has been spotted before at the farm as early as 2014 according to Ebird.

On my way home, I stopped at Holy Cross Cemetery, where an American Kestrel couple were fattening up on the available insects while perching on the many Obelisks. My Ebird research led me to the Cemetery after seeing so many posts on Facebook, Birding in Mass. I had an amazing experience learning about the behavior of these beautiful birds

, especially the male who was less intimidated by the many lenses pointed in his direction. Crickets were on the menu! I was saddened, however, by the many photographers that were following the Kestrel through the Cemetery looking for that "flight" shot. They had no respect running through the graveyard, setting up tripods on grave areas, and scaring the bird. I am always a birder first. Took my shots, respectful, and left after 20 minutes. These were not birders...