July 8, 2013 in American Kestrel
After a long waiting period with very regular intervals of watching, finally had a chance to see the two female Kestrel fledglings from this new nest location. They perched in the leafless nearby tree where the parents regularly perch during the day. Althought tough to find at times due to the many branches and their perfect coloration, quite a treat to get these looks!
June 1, 2012 in Nearby Landbirds
The female kestrel lays 4-6 eggs, 1 every other day. She typically begins incubation upon laying the penultimate egg. The incubation period is approximately 30 days and the nestlings fledge in 28-31 days. They are dependent on their parents for another 12-14 days. Up to 75% of the young may die during their first year. Mortality rate drops to perhaps 10-20% per year as young falcons fine-tune their survival skills.
American Kestrels prefer open and partly open areas with scattered trees. They are a secondary cavity nester and are the only North American falcon or hawk to nest in cavities. They use woodpecker holes, natural cavities in trees, crevices in rocks, openings in buildings and nest boxes.
Additional photos including many flights shots posted online: http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/143865184
April 5, 2012 in Nearby Landbirds
The female Kestrel continues to be very active around the nest area. She has been moving around from perch to perch in search of food. According to the Allaboutbirds website Kestrels normally hunt by day. You may see a kestrel scanning for prey from the same perch all day long—or changing perches every few minutes.” This was true for the Kestrel this morning as it was very intense in scanning the low ground cover for insects and small mammals. The bright sun provided a nice look at her boldly patterned head and beautiful rufous barred back feathers.
A handful of additional photos are posted online for those with an interest:
http://www.pbase.com/birdshots/image/142488497
Click “next” in upper right to advance frames……enjoy!!
