Kestrel of the badlands

In August 2024, going to photograph at the “Badlands of Atri” WWF Oasis Regional Nature Reserve, a beautiful and evocative place located in Italy, precisely in the Abruzzo region, a reserve where it's possible to admire different species of free wild animals that have proliferated in the over the years, I have been able to admire splendid landscapes characterized by natural formations called "badlands", ridges of land created by soil erosion, where numerous animal species move and live. One of these species of which in Italy there is a large population spread throughout the territory is the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a bird of prey much loved by me and important contributor to the balance of nature. In the photo, you can see a specimen, a male, photographed on a high and distant badlands, while he searches for food by flying over the ridges. I find this moment significant because it has not often happened to me that I have been able to see this little bird of prey, immersed in such a particular place, behaving in an absolutely concentrated way and not at all worried, despite the great heat of those days. It was certainly a truly special moment for me precisely because I was able to observe him for a long time as he moved through this truly singular and unique place that represent one of the many natural beauties of Abruzzo.