Eurasian Kestrel - Netherlands / Beleef de Lente

[irenekl]

Yes, they are monitoring via cam.  The male looks very different from the female.  Never a doubt which one you are seeing.  Almost daily the cam operators post clips from the past 24 hour period so I'm guessing they are going over the tapes of every hour.  Often they'll post activity from the night time.

[The Peregrine Chick]

First I'm not an European Kestrel expert and every bird has different tolerances, but generally, based on what I do know ...

Quick answer is: Without a partner, the female will not be able to feed five chicks and herself.  Kestrels (both ours and theirs) are very fast growing and need alot of food.  She might be able to keep herself, or herself and a couple of the chicks fed, but there is the problem of the first week to 10 days when the chicks can't thermoregulate - if she's out hunting the chicks may die of exposure, even in a nestbox.

Question - I haven't checked out the blog, but the "observers", are they watching day and night?  Are they watching in person or via the cam?  Are they able to tell the male from the female if he is coming back at dark to incubate?  We have had males at the Radisson who did almost no incubating and were very elusive - I spent days watching (in person on rooftops) and never saw the males anywhere near the nest/nestboxes.

Long answer is: the male may still be around just very elusive in which case there is nothing to worry about.  If he really is gone, the quick answer applies.

Does that help ...

[irenekl]

Tracy, can you provide any information on the ability of the female kestrel's ability to incubate and raise a hatch on her own?  Will she abandon this nest before even trying to incubate, if the male is indeed gone/dead?  Would she be stressed about his absence?  Alot of stress at the nest site from day one!  Upon converting the dutch blog text to english I read that the male has not been seen in 3 days.

[bev.]

Sometimes when we aer observing , they appear so quickly that we miss them. HOpefuly he is around . I guess I better watch a bit more. Not that I can make him appear

[maggieblue]

  Five eggs today which is probably a full clutch.  The observers there are a little concerned though that they haven't seen the male for more than 2 days which is apparently unusual at this stage.  Hopefully he is just out hunting and will show up soon.

[allikat]

LOL Lorianne!

[bev.]

Loriann

[Loriann]

Mrs. Dove would have a LOT of explaining to do to Mr. Dove when none of the kids had his nose.

[bev.]

that is just too priceless.  Can you imagine the doves  surprise when the eggs hatched. (that is if she had the chance to brood them

[allikat]

I hope she gets the message that they are not her eggs though...Wouldn't want a peaceful dove to be somewhere she shouldn't be   

[birdcamfan]

I thought it was sweet when the dove sat on the eggs. Poor thing shot through the entrance like it had been launched from a cannon when the kistral returned.

[allikat]

Four eggs this morning.  And the kestrels appear to be keeping closer watch after yesterday's little dustup with the dove who came into the nest.  It looked like the dove thought that her eggs had magically reappeared as she tried to brood them and was making some very interesting noises.    There is a vieoclip from yesterday.  I noticed that the female was at the entrance after dark and is on guard today. 

Awe...poor thing    Well at least she tried to brood them and not destroy them.  Hmmm, are doves capable of fostering?

[maggieblue]

So it is dark there now and mama appear to be on guard.  Sitting at the entrance 

[maggieblue]

Four eggs this morning.  And the kestrels appear to be keeping closer watch after yesterday's little dustup with the dove who came into the nest.  It looked like the dove thought that her eggs had magically reappeared as she tried to brood them and was making some very interesting noises.    There is a vieoclip from yesterday.  I noticed that the female was at the entrance after dark and is on guard today. 

[The Peregrine Chick]

Merlins here (mostly comparable to the kestrels in Europe) use old crows' nests here to nest in, they don't make their own so they have to usurp someone elses.  Means that the crows have to come in first, then the merlins can follow.  If the crows leave, the merlins will follow when the nests left behind deterioriate - merlins don't make repairs ...