Over the past few weeks, I’ve been spending time at one of Tempe’s quiet urban oases, Evelyn Hallman Park, and I’ve been rewarded with something special: two pairs of American kestrels in active breeding activity.

The American Kestrel – North America’s smallest falcon – is also one of its most colorful. The males are especially striking, with slate-blue wings and warm rust tones along the back and tail. Despite their size, they are skilled hunters, often perching low before dropping onto prey.

Kestrels feed primarily on insects and small vertebrates, including grasshoppers, beetles, lizards, small rodents, and occasionally small birds. I’ve watched one male bring a lizard on one day and a gecko on another, presenting them to the female – a typical breeding-season behavior. The pairs have been mating frequently, sometimes every twenty minutes, which suggests nesting may be imminent.

Kestrels are cavity nesters, relying on existing tree holes or other natural openings rather than building their own nests. Urban parks like this one can provide valuable habitat when hunting grounds and nest sites come together.

I’ve taken hundreds of images documenting these moments – feeding exchanges, close pair interactions, and flashes of color against the desert landscape. I’m hopeful that in the coming weeks I’ll be photographing fledglings here as well.

Stay tuned. Spring is just beginning.