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17th Kestrel nest box   (This page contains some unsightly photos)
Five 1 week old Kestrel babies in 17th Kestrel nest box
ABOVE: Five 1 week old Kestrel babies in 17th Kestrel nest box in June 15, 2003. Many pale grayish-brown feathers were in the box. They looked like European House Sparrow feathers. Bits of entrails, possibly from birds were inside too. 2 large barns were being built nearby during the last 2 weeks of egg incubation, and through the first few days of the babies' lives. These 2 barns are now the closest buildings to this nest box site, however, they are on the other side of the stand-alone garage this box is mounted on. Apparently this human activity has not adversely affected the egg incubation. The babies hatched late in the season, but were able to survive the heat of late June and early July because they were situated on the north side of the building, shaded from most of the sun. Unseasonably cool and cloudy weather may have also helped. The nest box is also white which reflects the early morning and late evening sun. They probably left the nest on July 7, 2003.
2 views of 'whitewashing' from Kestrel babies in 17th Kestrel nest box
ABOVE: 2 views of 'whitewashing' from Kestrel babies. Photo taken on August 17, 2003.
Food leftovers from Kestrel babies in 17th Kestrel nest box
ABOVE: Food leftovers from Kestrel babies in 17th Kestrel nest box. It appears that small gray-brown birds and large dragonflies made up the bulk of their diet. Small bird feathers and dragonfly wings covered the box floor. There were also bird feet, bird legs, small animal vertebre, small animal entrails, 'whitewashing', straw from the nest, and empty capsules from various House Fly larvae on the floor... many of which can be seen in the above photo. The box still had a strong odor of ammonia. Photo taken on August 17, 2003.
  Started: 6/15/2002. Last updated: 8/18/2003                   << Previous page