Defence Kestrel

[jude hopwood <>]

Notes from the Dept.

 

The babies are growing at a phenomenol speed, but the mother keeps them really well covered, its very hard to get a picture. Got to work early, 6.40 or so and watched for 15 minutes, the male delivered five times, four black crickets and something larger but very mangled, mum fed all to the chicks.

 

Still not sure what happened to third egg, went for a walk around the base of building looking for any suspicious egg shell bits, but nil found.

 

Interesting conversation re: bird understanding glass.  The kestrels actually evicted (ate?) a group of pidgeons who had moved in when the anti-bird nesting wire broke after a particularly heavy hail storm. The mother appears to "see" us through the glass and has become agitated occassionally, but normally just gives us the serial killer stare. However, during incubation when the male took a turn at egg-sitting (BTW he was almost incompetent he kept his feathers tight so he was actually sitting on top of the eggs not around them like the mother) he would take off at the first sign of anyone coming within 2 metres of the window. So both "see" us or at least see shapes, but the mother's protection instinct seems to be greater.

 

Am working on getting pics that I can post.

Jude