With the installation of our new Hack Pen, we decided that the first candidates for release would be two Kestrels that we’ve had in over the summer.
The young female on the left, with the male on the right. Settling into their new lodgings.
The male has been with us since June, when he was found by Anglian Water in an outdoor sewage processing pit. After a thorough clean he was put into one of our hospital aviaries to recuperate. The incident had left him with a severely damaged tail (possibly from being in the sewage), so it was important to give him a safe place to regrow his tail feathers, which are used to maintain balance when hunting.
The young female was brought in to us after being found grounded after wet weather. She also had a damaged tail, so was placed in an aviary to recuperate and regrow some of her feathers.
These two kestrels were deemed fit for release shortly before the hack pen was built, so were the ideal birds to move in and try out the facilities. Our falconers visited every couple of days to supply them with food, although the pen is designed to allow wild rodents access, so we hope that they were also able to practice their hunting skills.
The main purpose is to allow the birds to build fitness, so the pen is designed with the feed tray low to the ground, encouraging the birds to fly down, grab food then carry it up to a perch. The vertical slats give privacy while allowing the birds to observe their surroundings outside the pen. On a number of occasions a wild female kestrel was seen in the vicinity of the pen (including sitting on the roof!), so we suspect the male has been calling to her and she was curious about the newcomers to her territory.
We have now opened the door to the pen, allowing these birds to come and go as they please. The pen will remain open and we will continue to put food out for the birds until we are confident they have become independent. A trail cam has been installed to help us monitor any movements, and we will post a further update in due course.