Kestrel Chicks Thriving Despite Brutal Barn Owl Attack

All six kestrel chicks are now thriving, despite a very shaky start. This film takes a look back at their extraordinary story and pays tribute to the resilience and determination of their parents, two formidable falcons Mr & Mrs Kes.

The Fotherdale kestrel chicks are now four weeks old. You can watch them on the livestream as they perch at the entrance to the nest, flapping their wings as they prepare for indpendence: https://youtu.be/K-yzxULbA8I

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SURVIVAL AGAINST THE ODDS
Despite a very turbulent beginning, all six kestrel chicks have survived and are now almost ready to fledge the nest and begin their lives as independent falcons. Their story is one of survival against all the odds and shows how the fortitude shown by their parent birds kept them safe.
DANGER NEVER FAR AWAY
Throughout their short lives, the adult female kestrel, Mrs Kes, has had to fight off raids on her nest (More on this story here: https://youtu.be/x1yDrfa2mzs) but despite these dangerous disruptions all six chicks hatched!
HATCHING
This film shows you the moment the first chick hatches, still damp from the egg and completely helpless, and captures the tender moment Mrs Kes looks down to see her chick for the first time.
Two hours later a second hatchling makes an appearance.
FIRST MEALS
By the time they are just a few hours old, the hatchlings instinctively call and raise their beaks to be fed. Mrs Kes is a good mother and tears up tiny morsels with care. In contrast, Mr Kes hasn't a clue. His job is to hunt for food, but he does not know how to actually feed his chicks and when he arrives with a vole and Mrs Kes is not there, he simply dumps the vole on top of them. These chicks are only a few hours old, and the vole is bigger than they are! Thankfully, Mrs Kes comes to the rescue. Unlike the male, she knows just what to do and tears it into small pieces to feed the chicks.
FIRST NIGHT - AND THE NEST IS ATTACKED.
As night falls and the new family settle down for a well earned rest, an unwanted visitor appears at the entrance to the nest. Its a barn owl and it is on the attack. Mrs Kes jumps to attention, grappling the intruding barn owl by its face. She evicts the owl, but, 20 minutes later, it's back!
Mrs Kes doesn't hesitate to rally her strength yet again to do everything she can to protect her chicks, skilfully grasping the barn owl’s legs until the owl retreats.
IDENTIFYING THE INTRUDER
I have a network of surveillance cameras in my garden and know all of the animals that live here individually. Using close-ups and a review of each camera I can determine the whereabouts of each barn owl at the time of the attack. It is soon clear that the perpetrator is Willow, a female that roosts in a box I built on a tower behind my workshop. At one time Willow used this nest box, perhaps she still feels a claim to it.
KESTREL RESILIENCE
Despite her ordeal, Mrs Kes gets straight back to her eggs and gathers them back under her, revealing just what a remarkable bird she is. She is rewarded the next day with a third hatchling. Over the next two days, the three remaining eggs hatch out successfully.
KESTREL LIFE
It’s a pleasure to get an insight into the lives of these special birds and to see how their resilience and determination in fighting off threats ensured the survival of this brood.
WATCH THE KESTRELS FLY
As the chicks start to fledge, I'll be sharing more films so please subscribe to my channel to be notified of their news. You can also keep an eye on the livecams here: https://youtu.be/K-yzxULbA8I - watch them looking out of the entrance, flapping their wings as they prepare for their first flights.

I am a British wildlife artist based in Thixendale, North Yorkshire, UK. I build ideal habitats to encourage wildlife into my garden and use nest cams to study their behaviour. These studies inform my paintings. I share the best of my video research on this channel for free. If you would like to support my work please consider a small donation here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=A52ZHAMJZC3J4

Or of course you may like to purchase my artwork which you will find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of the paintings are portraits of the creatures you watch here!

© Robert E Fuller

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Видео Kestrel Chicks Thriving Despite Brutal Barn Owl Attack канала Robert E Fuller