I introduce two kestrel chicks to a family of wild kestrels and the adult female, Jenny, immediately takes them under her wing.
Wild kestrels adopt
Jean Thorpe of local wildlife rehabilitation unit, Ryedale Rehabilitation, has two kestrel chicks ready to be released back into the wild. The chicks had fallen from a nest in the roof of a garage showroom and there was no way of getting them back in to their nest. One was almost ready to fledge, but the younger one was no where near ready for flight.
According to Jean, the youngest kestrel almost didn't make it but after some intensive care from both Jean and the lady who found the chicks, it arrived here at Fotherdale a healthy weight. My work here involves introducing rescued chicks to wild nests where birds can raise them as if they were their own. In this case, I put the rescues in Sycamore nest with kestrel pair Jenny & Jasper where there are two chicks yet to fledge and Jenny is still coming regularly to feed them.
As I place the two new kestrels in the nest, Jenny's chicks look surprised and both sets begin to bristle a little. But after a while the new kestrels settle in and it's nice to watch them from my cameras as the newcomers sit at the entrance and watch a pigeon pair beaking on the the branch outside. Since Jenny & Jasper now have two extra beaks to feed, I throw some extra food into the nest and the foster chicks quickly begin to tear them up.
Jenny rushes to feed them
Then the magic happens. Jenny arrives and her maternal instincts kick in. Without missing a beat, she takes over breaking up the mouse and starts feeding the chicks as if they were her own. Being brought up like this gives rescued youngsters the greatest opportunity to be raised as wild kestrels. I will continue to monitor their progress as they grow, but I believe this process gives them the best chance to make it to adulthood.
