Good morning everyone! This topic has been created for you to discuss events you see on the Bosch KestrelCams. Please ask questions, post observations and share knowledge about what our kestrels do during this 2015 nesting season.
If you prefer to see postings displayed with the most recent at the top, go to http://hub.peregrinefund.org/akp-2015-cams-discussion
Comments:
judging by her flapping and
judging by her flapping and agitation, i do believe she just laid an egg, tho i cant see it yet
Well not sure exactly when it
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grin.....i seen lot of egg
grin.....i seen lot of egg laying by other birds, so was watching for certain body behavior.
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8:07 - both kestrels in the
8:07 - both kestrels in the box, male partially covering eggs, and the female beside on the floor of the box. A number of twittering vocalizations between them followed by a number of attempts by the female to encourage the male to get up from eggs by pushing her head under his breast and gently pushing him. After approx 1 min the male got up from the eggs and went to the opening, female then replaced the male on the eggs and covered them.
8:13 - male still perched in the opening looking outward and a number of vocalizations from the female.
8:15 - male departs the box.
This is my 3rd year watching
This is my 3rd year watching the kestrels, and I don't remember seeing the male kestrel refuse to move off the eggs before, though I've seen it with the Dunrovin Ospreys. I also don't think I've seen the male only partially cover the eggs, which this male tends to do.
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It seems that the pair is
It seems that the pair is different this year.
Last year, the male was banded. This year, he is not.
Last year, the female was not banded - and this year, it would seem she might be (or at least, a banded female was spotted copulating in front of the nest box in early March. I have been trying to confirm whether or not the female in the nestbox now is indeed that banded female.)
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This definitely isn't a
This definitely isn't a rare behavior in raptors - I've witnessed this type of interaction to prompt an incubating adult to move in a variety of species including balds, buteos like RT, osprey. It doesn't seem to happen in accipiters much but then males don't tend to participate in incubation.
4.14.15 After 8 am this
4.14.15 After 8 am this morning, the female arrived while the male was incubating. She came up behind him to take over incubating, but he didn't leave. She moved around him and attempted to turn the eggs beneath him. Her body at a 90 degree angle from him, continued turning the eggs and used her head to get underneath him to position herself for incubating. He finally moved and perched in the cavity for approximately 5 minutes, and then exited the box.
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If you want to view just the
If you want to view just the recent comments, with newest comments at the top, visit http://hub.peregrinefund.org/akp-2015-cams-discussion
Thanks for that link.
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Male must be new at
Male must be new at incubating eggs. He doesn't have all of them covered (just one).
Hope mom kestrel returns home soon!
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Looked like it was hailing
Looked like it was hailing outside the box! Fortunately, both kestrels were inside.
Pa kestrel is incubating the
Pa kestrel is incubating the eggs now. He has all of them covered except two (one is completely uncovered; the other is partially). Eventually, he will get it.
Ma kestrel is eating something. Rodent?
One of the kestrels is squawking every now and then.
Ma kestrel just left the box;
Ma kestrel just left the box; even though, I begged her not to do so. Looks like a strong storm is about to arrive!
Oh boy! I hope she returns
Oh boy! I hope she returns like now. The wind is howling and the mountain range is obscured by rain, I think. Might be more hail. It does look sort of whitish. I hope Ma Kestrel finds good shelter from the storm!
She made it! Just in time!
She made it! Just in time! Squawking! Whew! Box is shaking from the force of the wind.
Is that snow?
Ma kestrel is a good little
Ma kestrel is a good little hunter. Not only did she fly in all of that wind, she even managed to hunt during her time away! I didn't see what she brought in but she seems to be enjoying it. Large insect? Tiny mouse?
The kestrels looked funny shaking in the box.
Looks like more snow is on the way per the outside cam.
Ma is telling Pa to move but he will not budge. Move, Pa. Move. lol
There he goes.
Pa kestrel has all eggs
Pa kestrel has all eggs covered now.
I guess Pa kestrel decided
I guess Pa kestrel decided that Ma kestrel's presence meant that there was no longer any need for him to cover up all of the eggs.
sigh
I think Ma kestrel just told
I think Ma kestrel just told Pa how to properly cover up the eggs. He watched while she sat on them (while squawking) and carefully moved, with her beak, two of the eggs under her that didn't quite fit the first time.
All 4 eggs are properly covered now.
Temp. 6.7C wind N @16 mph
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Weather 3 C wind WNW 10
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The male remained in
The male remained in incubating position until the female return approximately 40 minutes later.
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Indeed, we were pegged by a
Indeed, we were pegged by a few rounds of lightweight hail/snowballs yesterday in the midst of the howling winds! It is rather cold and breezy today - but we will be in for warm and calm 70s going into the weekend.
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A very quiet sweet moment
A very quiet sweet moment around 11:53 AM or so - the adult kestrels sit close together, and the female incubates her eggs. Again the male sits not quite right on top of her. Shhhh - it's kestrels......
I grabbed an HD picture :)
I grabbed an HD picture :)
Click to see
11:38 both kestrels in box.
11:38 both kestrels in box. Female eating, male lying on 2 eggs, other 2 uncovered beside him.
The box is creaking in the wind -- at least that's my guess about what's making that squeaking sound--maybe it's the camera fittings.
11:47 Female finishes eating, nudges male to get off the eggs, chittering. He's not budging.
11:49 He's on eggs, preening, she's lying up against him, her head toward his tail.
11:50 Now she's nudging him again, and again gives up.
I'll be interested to see if the male is less reluctant to leave once the wind dies down.
11:56 Female chitters, nudges male a few times, but less energetically than earlier. He stays.
12:07 Male preening, female (?) chittering, otherwise in same positions.
12:08 Male stands, rolls eggs, female nudging insistently to move him off, but male is still in place.
12:09 now she tries to push her read in under his breast; no luck.
12:11 lying beside him, heads in the same direcetion, she's rocking forcefully against his side. He's still there, though I think he's standing.
12:12 male standing in place, preening. Chittering -- I'm not sure which of them is doing it.
12:15 Male continues to preen. She's just lying there. I think she's probably got the eggs fairly well under her, but he's obscuring any view of her left side.
12:20 Male still preening, positions of both unchanged.
The squeaking/creaking now has two pitches
12:23 Female chitters a couple of times.
12:38 female chitters, stands, tries agian to nudge male away from his position against the wall opposite the door. She is having no luck.
12:41 now female is lying down, parallel to male; she probably has the eggs covered. He's preening, still in place.
I intended to wait until he (or she) left the box before posting this, but....
ROFL
ROFL
This was just too funny.
Pa kestrel marches to the beat of a different drum, it seems...or he is just clueless. I have a feeling, at some point, Ma kestrel will resort to pecking him to get him to move.
I love the details Minot. It
I love the details Minot. It's so amusing to watch her try to nudge him off the eggs with her head. Thanks!
I love the details Minot. It
I love the details Minot. It's so amusing to watch her try to nudge him off the eggs with her head. Thanks!
13:35 Still lying side by
13:35 Still lying side by side. The eggs are probably under the female.
14:32 the male delivered a
14:32 the male delivered a rodent. It was exciting to watch him deal with the wind coming from the top of the box to the door.
14:36 the female is eating; the male is sitting half on/half off the eggs.
14:38 female perches in cavity with partially eaten rodent in talons. Thanks for the (shaky) close up. I saw no band on the visible lower (right?) leg.
14:40 female flies off.
14:42 male is incubating all eggs.
14:43 female returns briefly to box, without rodent.
14:44 female exits box, male continues to incubate eggs.
There is a dead thing in the
There is a dead thing in the corner of the box but I don't know what it is. It looks like some sort of rodent.
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Hello. My lighthearted
Hello. My lighthearted observations were not intended to be disrespectful, and should not be construed as such. I am not an ornithologist, zoologist, biologist, or animal behaviorist; therefore, it is difficult for me to observe nature in a clinical or detached manner. Also, I'm not very good at identifying dead things or carcasses (whichever term you prefer), especially when they are not whole or easily recognizable. I'm just a regular person who thoroughly enjoys observing nature. Nature can be fascinating, scary, sad, tragic, horrifying, enlightening, heartbreaking, amusing, entertaining, etc. I've been watching live bird cams (an assortment of owls, peregrine falcons, red-tail hawks, ospreys, Canada geese, robins, bald eagles, Laysan albatrosses, and American kestrels) for about six years now. I've seen a lot, and I've learned a lot. One of the bald eagle cams, one year, had an inexperienced or clueless (whichever term you prefer) female but a well experienced male (his first mate died). A few of the moments were cringe-worthy but the female did get better. All of the eaglets fledged.
This year's kestrel pair is a new pair. I have faith that the little guy (male kestrel) will successfully help raise his offspring. He is getting better at incubating the eggs. After the eggs hatch, we might notice that his feeding skills need improvement but he will get better at it just like the female bald eagle of a few years ago improved with practice.
Again, no disrespect. Far from it.
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Thanks for reporting the
Thanks for reporting the fifth egg! I was not able to watch the cams myself this evening. I have now updated the kestrel cam updates page!
Weather -.4 C wind from SSE
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