Kestrel Deadly 60 Bites

On Deadly 60, I've had loads of incredible animal encounters.

Here's just one of my many favourites.

This is Deadly 60 Bites. Whoa!

The UK is home to a superb array of birds of prey.

But one of the most impressive is the master of hovering -

the kestrel.

So, Ashley here is a falconry bird and his owner, Lloyd,

has taught him to hover in exactly the way that a wild bird would do.

Let's see if we can get him to hover.

Yes! Look at that!

He's not even having to beat his wings, just turning into the wind

and allowing the wind to come underneath the wings.

Oh, wow! That was classic!

And he's back up again!

Kestrels love wind. By turning into it, air is constantly driven

under its wings, creating lift,

while its body remains stationary, hovering above the ground.

This gives them the perfect vantage point

to spot their favourite food - voles.

Whoa! Ho, ho, ho!

The speed as it comes through!

That's when you can really see that this is a falcon.

Keeping their heads still means our kestrel can pinpoint their target,

in this case the lure, then plunge down to the grass.

OK, now are we going to see...? Yes! Wow!

Now that was a classic falcon strike. Thank you, Lloyd.

I mean, he's just so beautiful.

And gets a place on the Deadly 60.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd