Although we have been super busy with our own patients at the Raptor Hospital, we are always happy to help out other rescues and rehabbers when needed.
A few weeks ago we were contacted by Ben at Spirit of the Wild, who had a young Kestrel they had been looking after. It was found on the ground near a car park, so they went over with ladders in the hope to be able to return the chick back into its nest. However, upon arrival they found out that the parents hadn’t been seen for a while and with no sign of the nest and it getting late, they decided to take the chick back with them to make sure it had a feed.
The young Kestrel was found on the ground, away from the nest which was inaccessible.
The nest was located the next day, but was completely inaccessible, so returning the chick wasn’t an option. Ben estimated the chick was about 3 weeks old, so a few weeks before fledging. Although she apparent good health, she showed no fear of people, which was a concern as there is a high chance that young wild birds will imprint on their caregiver. Ben and his team did a marvellous job rearing this youngster with minimum contact, feeding using tongs from outside the “nest” so she didn’t get too used to seeing people. When she was a bit bigger, they transferred her to an aviary and introduced live prey, in the form of insects, which she pounced on without hesitation. She also mimicked catching the whole (dead) mice she was provided with, which showed that her hunting instinct was still intact and she had a good chance of surviving once released.
With her rescuers
Although the team at Spirit of the Wild have some experience with rescue work, they realised that they did not have the time or resources to give this young Kestrel the best chance in her final stage of rehabilitation. It is great that they put the birds welfare first, so they contacted Jess and asked if we could help.
Jess with the young Kestrel when she arrived with us
Ben arrived with his Kestrel shortly after the first Stowupland Kestrel was brought in, so it was quickly decided that they would be hacked together once ready. We now have 4 young Kestrels in our care (the second Stowupland youngster and a much younger Kestrel), so once these are all ready they will be released together at one of our local hack sites. By releasing the adopted siblings together, they can learn how to be a Kestrel and might even stick together for a little while before dispersing, just like they would in the wild.
Ben’s Kestrel (right) with one of the Stowupland Kestrels.