'Kestrel' was made during a period in the mid-1930s when Boyd was establishing her reputation. It was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1936 and at the Royal Glasgow Institute the following year. It is a compelling and unusual interpretation of a bird of prey in watchful rest, waiting or contemplating an unknown view. Boyd avoided the tradition of depicting birds of prey as hunters or in combat over territory, instead presenting it as a gentle creature. During the interwar period, birds of prey were commonly used in the iconography of war and it may be that Boyd carved her calm looking kestrel as a symbol of the desire for peace.