General Discussion : 2017 KestrelCam Discussion

Hello! Welcome to the 2017 KestrelCam season!

We're back with a great camera courtesy of Bosch, and a new streaming platform on Youtube. If you notice a problem with streaming, try refreshing the page and restarting the streams. If you have technical issues or any other kind of issue, please use the contact staff link to get assistance. Please feel free to report any spam or disrespect to AKP staff.

Remember to be respectful and courteous to other viewers, and enjoy the show!

Stay on the lookout for live chats this year, every Tuesday and Thursday at noon MST. I'll be chatting with everyone to answer any and all questions.

Click here to view this thread with the most recent comments on top!

-Delora Hilleary

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Delorahilleary's picture

They will be mostly gone, but they often return to the nest box at night especially, to use as a safe roost. From here on out, the kestrels will be learning how to hunt and fly, and the parents will continue to feed and take care of them until they get proficient at surviving on their own.

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

Everybody gone ! Need a Kestrel hatchling fix ??

Link to    http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html

Thanks, Nu-Sun Cinema

Jill from MN's picture

One charming little hatchling.  Thank you, we will keep tabs on Baby.   So sad about the other eggs...

 

Delorahilleary's picture

Thanks for watching everyone! We'll see if these nestlings come back to roost and rest. Otherwise, into the big exciting world they go! I'll leave the cams up for if and when they come back.

From here on out, the nestlings will be cared for and fed by the adults until they can survive on their own. They become a little roaming pack, essentially, with the parents keeping an eye out while they hunt. By the time fall comes around, these four nestlings should be out on their own.

Thanks everyone for the kind words :)

cb0324's picture

Missed tthem this time. The very first year i watched the cam I was lucky to see all 5 fledging. But they never fledged as a group, all of them, lol.

 

cb0324's picture

Two things:

1. My impression is that the weather there was colder/wetter this year than normally. the desert looks greener.. If so,k how would it affect the food suply for the kestrels?

2. I do not rmember when they fledged in previous years, but is it possible that having only 4 chicks made them grow faster/stronger? 

Delorahilleary's picture

Indeed, we had a record for snowfall this last winter, and a very wet spring follow-up. The Boise River has been above the flood stage for a long while, and it seems likely to stay that way until August. It's hard to say what that will do for kestrels, however. My own personal vague observation has been that the big insects are a bit late coming out this year, and I mostly observed rodent food being delivered right up until the few days before fledging.

It is normal for kestrels to fledge at about 27-31 days old, and this set was right on the money, fledging at day 29! They are well within the normal range. Number of nestlings does not appear to impact fledge timing.

cb0324's picture

It looks like nobody i8s coming back for the night this year.

Delorahilleary's picture

I'll be curious to see tomorrow night. Sometimes it takes nestlings a bit to get flight-capable enough to fly up to a second-story nest box again after leaving.

cb0324's picture

They did not come back this night either , but they seem to frequent the box in the morning hours. Unfortunately, without sound, I usually do not catch them but other people reported them. But i remember another year when they did not come back to the box for over night either.

 

NM-Kestrel-Laura's picture

At what nestling age does the female typically stop sleeping in the box with her nestlings? My 8- & 9-day chicks were left alone last night. I'm hoping she didn't leave because the ants we have in the box, which have been very active! 

Delorahilleary's picture

It depends on weather oftentimes, but it seems nestlings begin to thermoregulate themselves around when their shoulder feathers begin growing in. Once they can keep themselves warm, the female stops roosting in the nest box - unless it's a particularly cold night.

NM-Kestrel-Laura's picture

OK, thanks. The chicks are still too tiny for feathers, but we live in a warm climate. It gets down into the low 60s at night but much toastier (90s) during the day. I guess I'm over thinking--surely, the parents know what to do. I guess coincident with the ant problem we have, I was hoping the female didn't get chased off from her motherly duties! 

TerriFla's picture

So sad to see the box empty but also happy to have them all grown and fledged safely! Will be making a donation to help pay for a new microphone! Thanks for all you do Delora, I really enjoyed the chats this year!

Delorahilleary's picture

Thank you so much! I'm so glad that everyone enjoyed it, and it was great to have the live chats! Thanks for joining in :)
We'll be taking a close look at the wiring in a while, to figure out what happened to the mic. We'll keep you in the loop when we do!

I'm going to miss these nestlings, but there will be a next year! :)

cb0324's picture

Where did the egg come from??

TerriFla's picture

It's been there the whole time. And didn't get broken or hatched.  :(

cb0324's picture

I did not know that it was the same one. Must have been hidden unddr the mulch for a while, lol.

 

TerriFla's picture

Look at the egg just sitting there right in the middle of the box.

How sad.

 

NM-Kestrel-Laura's picture

We have 2 sad & unhatched eggs in our box.  :(
But 2 chicks who seem to be doing OK! :)

Jill from MN's picture

Small, stilled and forlorn, 

A precious hope unrealized,

A tiny egg

Laid by a devoted bird,

Surrounded in its hopeless beauty

By four devoted snow-white siblings as they grew,

A pearl unsullied,

A vision sad;

A kestrel hope frozen.

TerriFla's picture

Lovely! Jill you said just what I was thinking. Thank you.

Jill from MN's picture

So welcome, my dear.  Yet we can rejoice too, in the thriving Kestrel Kids.  I hope they gain the stamina to fly up and visit the ledge sometime, or that we can hear little 'killys' and chitters when the microphone is fixed!  :)

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

Our little one is growing fast 10 days old on June 5/17

Link to watch   http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html

Enjoy, Nu-Sun Cinema

Jill from MN's picture

Little baby Kestrel is so beautiful, and may be a female after all, but time will tell.  There sure is a lot of room in the nest box to stretch legs and wings!

Jill from MN's picture

Our little Great Northern Kessie is huddling in a corner, much like the Minnesota Peregrines on their site do in a way 'all by themselves.'  Does that lend some warmth, or is baby hardy by now?

PS:  I do believe this is a little male.  If I could name him he would be Gord.

All good wishes to our good Canadian Kestrel Partners!

Jill from MN's picture

You know, the unhatchableness of eggs might tie into a rate statistic.   What I hope is that it's not a trend at all!  Kestrels have it difficult enough. 

But we love em....  :)

NM-Kestrel-Laura's picture

Hopefully not a trend! I also had 2 unhatched eggs from the 4 that were laid. 2 chicks are doing OK, but this is my first time with an occupied nest box. Since our kestrel pair seemed to get a bit of a later start than some (e.g., Idahoans), and the male spent many weeks wooing the female, we thought this might be a very young or new pair. Ultimately, we don't have enough data on our property to be able to tell you whether this is "normal" for our area. Time will tell, though. Hoping they come back again!

cb0324's picture

A kestrel fly by. They keep on excersizing.

cb0324's picture

Kestrels around. One, i think female fledgling on the roof ( not on the box though) , other one flying by, other one landing in the tree.

Much easier when you can hear their chirping. Hopefully njext year again.

Good to see the family training together.

TerriFla's picture

I miss the babies! I haven't seen them once since they left. Why is the male coming in and turning the egg like it's being reported?

cb0324's picture

Babies are around a lot, since we do no t hear them we often miss them. But from the other years, especially the first several days, I used to hear their chirping all the time. Just saw a few of them  Not sure about the male, I did not see that myself, maybe he is just confused or curious about an egg at this time.

NM-Kestrel-Laura's picture

Our female has 2 chicks. For the 2 unhatched eggs she occasionally turns and sits on...I wondered if she has not given up hope they will hatch even though most of the time she is feeding the 2 chicks...

Jill from MN's picture

I wonder if there will eventually be another clutch?  It may take a little longer to hone the little ones' hunting skills...

cb0324's picture

Like this year? I cannot imagine that. The juvs have to be grown up and independent before the winter hits because that's when the misery starts.

cb0324's picture

I guess it's a female fledgling resting on the roof.

 

cb0324's picture

this one might be the male chick on the roof. i wish i could zoom in, lol.

cb0324's picture

wonder why thestreaming so often switches to 140 pixels. you see nothing with that. it should stay at 720 .

cb0324's picture

the audio was back for a few minutes

and i could hear kestrels callimg!

Delorahilleary's picture

Indeed, I noticed our mic is working again. After the nestlings fledged, of course - that's how it works, right? Hahaha.

I've been noticing some kestrels coming and going, only occasionally however. I see them about the World Center for Birds of Prey campus, however! I can hear juveniles begging for food often.

cb0324's picture

Well, the good news did not last long- the microphone is dead again.

But they keep on coming at times, just I did not catch them going into the box.

 

On edit : Is suddenly on again, but somewhat screechy. 

cb0324's picture

kestrel ju7v on the roof vocalizing

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

Our little one is growing fast 15 days old on June 10/17 Get a look before fledge.

Link to watch   http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html

Enjoy, Nu-Sun Cinema

Jill from MN's picture

Such a magnificent little birdie!   I do enjoy seeing this tiny kestrel at the elegant stage - a little sleepy.  What strong legs!

 

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

Our nestling is doing great. Junior is getting ready for some feather plucking for DNA test/Genoscape.

Photo, Mom feeding junior on June 11/17.

Link to our live stream    http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html

We will notify all when we are plucking feathers and all can watch it live !!

Have a great day,  Nu-Sun Cinema

Jill from MN's picture

A lovely, alert little bird!  It now looks to me from the tail feathers and the growing primaries that this is a male.

TerriFla's picture

Making a donation. Thank you for a great Kestrel Season!

Started a Givalanche!

Jill from MN's picture

More about Nu-Sun's beautiful little male - he has a wonderful strong little chortling call that sounds like he's ravenous!  No brothers or sisters, no fights...

Nu-Sun Cinema's picture

Hi All, This weekend June 17or18 (weather permitting, lots of rain here.) we will be plucking junior. We will remove a couple of breast feathers for DNA sampling.

Watch it live on our stream.   http://www.nu-sun.com/html/2017_report.html

Have a good day and thanks all for the comments, Nu-Sun Cinema

 

TerriFla's picture

ouch.

Posted in General Discussion by Delorahilleary 7 years 3 weeks ago.

 

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