Cathy Boyles scans the airfield from her pickup truck at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. She’s on the watch for any animals or debris that might obstruct the planes coming and going.

As she drives, listens and responds to the air traffic control scanner, Boyles points to an American Kestrel hovering low above a grass median. She said the bird is the smallest North American falcon and an insectivore that sometimes goes for small mammals.

“It’s one of the few birds that can hover without using the wind to do so,” she said. “Very fast, very cool little birds.” Continue reading