Adrian Benepe may be the Parks Commissioner 364 days out of the year, but yesterday in Central Park he was The Falconer. That's him in the above photo holding a young female American kestrel, which was (illegally) taken in as a pet in Brooklyn before she was discovered by wildlife rehabilitators a few weeks ago. Moments after this photo was taken, Benepe fought off the urge to crush the raptor between his gloved hands, releasing it into the wild instead....

Yojimbot at The Origin of Species has some beautiful photographs taken during the release of some kestrels back into the wild. These kestrels (which are in the falcon family) were being rehabilitated by Bobby Horvath, who gathered other bird enthusiasts in Van Cortlandt Park for the big day. Here are some photographs from Yojimbot, who also has video.......