The Kestrel

My little Kestrel friend was found in Little Narrows, Cape Breton by Dennis and Sandra Kaiser in 1974. He was injured and couldn't fly, we took him to the vet in Baddeck but attempts to repair his shattered wing were unsuccessful. So Mr. Kestrel became the family pet, sitting on little perches about the house, he never lost his air of importance,as he constantly scanned his domain. At that time, I was working at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, the next property over and he would sit on a perch looking out the window. At lunch time he would be watching for me and at the first sign of my head coming above the crest of the museum hill he would start to scream "Killy, Killy, Killy!" He was excited to know he would be taking a ride on my finger to the perch above the refrigerator where he could enjoy a feast of raw hamburger.

Years later when I did a series of woodblock prints and created a kestrel image I remembered him and the years he was with us.