Kestrel's Eye

The Kestrel’s Eye is an art film that had a goal to shoot the movie from the point of view of the kestrels. It has no voice overs so it isn't like a documentary; it is just the normal sounds with nothing added. They filmed all the aerial shots using a hang glider to try to capture a view from above, like the birds see it. The film maker tries to create continuity. The ground keeper's cell phone went off and when it did it too sounded like a bird call. The sound of the car alarm sounds like the bird chirping. The sound of the mice the birds catch sounds like the birds. In the movie there is little to no contact between the humans and the birds.
The humans don't seem to notice the birds at all. While the wedding was going on the bird excreted its waste and the people didn't notice at all. The grounds keeper seems so involved in keeping the grounds looking perfect and when the bird regurgitated the remains, no one noticed. The birds also had a mouse that they were eating and they dropped it and still no one noticed. When the birds call each other it is very loud and the humans still don't acknowledge the birds. The humans are too involved with what is going on around them to notice nature and its beauty. Humans think of their selves as separate from nature and animals.
The birds on the other hand seem to notice the humans, especially the young birds. The young birds are very alert and aware of their surrounds; I guess because they are new to the world and don't know anything about it. The mother bird is very protective of her young though. She stands in the opening to the nest and watches for invaders and threats. She is very aware of everything so that her young aren't threatened. The young birds spend so much time together which is interesting. The mother leaves the young in the nest, to bond while she goes to get food. When the mother comes back to the nest the little birds get very excited and chirp loudly, welcoming her home. They stay in the nest for a long time, never leaving. When they actually do leave, they stick together and watch out for each other. They could learn this from their mother. The babies venture out of the nest at the same time. The young seem very interested in the humans below them. Every sound the humans make they turn to look at them. When the marching band goes by they all started to dance. They bobbed their heads up and down. I also found the way they hunted interesting. They hover over looking for food and when they see the prey move they swoop down and catch it. (I guess that might be why the blog is named the hovering kestrel.)
The entire film shows the relationship between humans and animals, or lack thereof. The birds are interested and affected by what the humans are doing but the humans on the other hand, don’t notice the birds at all. It just goes to show that most humans act without nature in mind. They don’t care how their actions are going to affect nature. They think that nature is always going to be there and that the resources will never diminish. They have the cowboy ethics view. They don’t care about waste. The birds don’t think the same way though. The birds are very aware of the humans and react to the noises the humans make. The film does a good job of really making this obvious. People need to think about their actions more and notice all the beautiful things nature has to offer. Like Aldo Leopold said, “Think like a mountain.”