American Kestrel
My friend Kathee has a pair of American Kestrels nesting in her yard. Several years ago, she bought an owl box and mounted it high in a tree. Owls never came to claim the box, but a pair of kestrels has been nesting in her yard for several years now.
Earlier in the season, Kathee would tell me stories about watching the birds do their mating dance. According to the birdhouses101 website:
The American Kestrel is generally not a social bird and they mate monogamously. In general, pairing starts about 4 weeks before egg laying. The male (or sometimes the female) tries to catch the attention of the opposite sex by executing high dives. Once a pair has been formed, the practice of courtship feeding commences. That is, the male frequently presents food to the female. Upon pairing, the Kestrel pair marks their territory. Presumably, the male protects the territory while the female warms the eggs. Male Kestrels are also known to sit on the eggs from time to time.
Eggs have been laid and have hatched already. It’s not unusual to see a chick in the opening of the box. We’re not sure how many chicks there are, but kestrels generally lay 3-7 eggs. They hatch about a month after they’re laid. From what I’ve read online, they fledge when they’re about 30 days old, and stay close to the parents for a few weeks afterward. I bet Kathee starts seeing the chicks leave the box in a few weeks. How exciting!
Yesterday, I visited Kathee’s home and we spent some time watching the kestrels soar above, catching dragonflies and then taking them to the nesting box for the chicks. At times, the female kestrel would perch at the top of a tall tree, scanning the area around her for prey. Then she’d take off in a swoop and come back with a big dragonfly in her mouth. The male would circle overhead or sit in a tree as if standing guard over his family. It was all so neat to witness!
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