Incredible story and photos. Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoyed it a lot.

Incredible series. You're in a situation most of us can merely dream of experiencing. And to be able to touch Mom without it biting you is quite unusual; Kestrels must really be used to humans there. I'll be looking forward to your updates...

Best Wishes,
Steve

This just reminds me of what a fantastic medium the internet is. Without it most of us would never be able to see something this special.

Thanks for sharing!!!

How Lucky you are. Such a wonderful opportunity.

Very Nice!!!!!

First I thought it was strange for a bird to nest in a flower planter and now she lets you hold her! You sure this isn't a pet kestrel? Awesome pictures and story. Can't wait for more.

Thank you again for your comments, I'm really glad you like it.

I have some news. Some bad and some good.

Bad: other 2 eggs didn't hatch. They didn't hatch after two weeks, even when they were laid 2 days after second one. Mother didn't take care of them for more then one week, because she's taking care about her children. So I took them from the nest to make babies more space. At first, I was looking through them on strong light (hoping I will see something inside), but I couldn't see anyting, so I put them to small plastic bag and opened one of them. There was nothing. Eggs wouldn't never hatch, no signs of life inside.
edit:I forget; I'm afraid, that mother is sick. I'm not sure about that, but last few days she's standing on only one leg.When I'm touching her, I can touch that other leg, she doesn't react, but she's holding it in like "fist", and she always blinks with one eye, but I don't know if these are connected

Good: Babies grow up REALLY fast!!! Older one is huge, but is much bigger than younger one and there's only 4 days between them, so older must eat much more than younger...but there's now way how can I help the second one.

Today I playd with mother on balcony - hide & seek She's watching me all the time, she was standing on that cabinet, I crouch so she couldn't see me. She came to see me immideatly. Walked across the pot, head up and looked at me from height.

Chicks are angry on me, when I try to touch them. Younger one sleeps all the time, but older is angry, scared. I would like to babies get used to me.

And finally, some fresh family photos:

21


22

Amazing detailed photos !!! Just remember that YOU could pass on some form of illness or sickness to these guys. I think I'd stop handling them and just watch and photograph. I know it's soooo tempting to handle and touch them >> But to keep the health and wellness of the animals you should not touch them

Great shots

Anthony

majo d

This is a great photo series. I am amazed and impressed that you can get that close. And let alone hold the mother.

Sorry to hear that she appears to be sick. One of the dangers for the top predators like hawks is that they can accumulate poisons from their prey. As an example, in New York City, some perigrine falcons have been lost because of eating poisoned pigeons.

Is it possible that this may be happening to your "visiting" kestrels? You might want to scout the area around your building for any poisons being set out for varmints, pigeons, etc. And pickup and dispose of any dead birds you see, so that the Kestrels don't get a poisoned bird.

I would also suggest that you immediately contact a bird rehabilitation expert. They can provide you with more exact information. Do you have laws there about protecting hawks?

On touching and holding the mother: I would be very careful on this and not do it very often. However, if she is sick, that you can hold her will help you get her to a rehabilitation center.

On the babies: Without both parents the little ones don't stand much of a chance. Additionally if this is a poison problem, the babies will be even more vulnerable than the adults. One poster suggested that raw hamburger was a suitable food for them. I don't know if that is so. But a rehaber should be able to tell you.

So please contact a local bird rehabilitation expert immediately. Let us know how it goes and if we can help let us know. I will contact a local rehabber here in the states and will pass on what they say.

majo d,

Here is some more information from a local hawk rehabber and a couple of links to Slovakian rehab. It sounded to the rehabber that poisoning could be a high probabliltiy. But that there could be other causes of the mother appearing ill. And yes the chicks are very vulnerable to poisons. The birds need to be examined by an expert hawk rehabber.

1) Get in touch with a hawk rehab expert IMMEDIATELY. See links below.

2) Do not feed them hamburger. It contains too much fat and will not be digested properly. The only food the local rehabber would suggest are mice and crickets. But they strongly suggest that you MUST get a rehabber involved immediately.

3) Is the male still coming around? If not, he may also have been poisoned. If he is still healthy, he can provide enough food for the famly. But you need to eliminate any sources of possibly poisoned hawk food; such as dead birds & rodents. Destroy all bait poisons that you can find. And elist the help of your freinds, the building management on making the area safe for these birds.

4) This looks like it is a "top of the food chain" poison situation. And if this is a poison, the affected mother and babies need to receive medication and treatment to give them even any chance of survival. So a Rehabber is absoluteky need immediately.

From what I described to the local rehabber here, she says this is a critical emergency. You need to act immediately. And she meant imemdiately, today, now. Even 1 day will likely be too late.

I looked up the international wildlife organizations. But they seem to just want money.
http://www.wildlife-international.org/
http://iwrc-online.org/emergency/emergency.html

A Google search got these links:
Listed rehab expert for Slovakia

Slovakia, Banska Bystrica..... +421/905/470791
Michal Adamec (member), Birds of Prey and Owls Saving Club
gaia@pobox.sk
Wildlife Species: raptors only


Slovakian Environment Agency
http://darwin.defra.gov.uk/international/2605/

You can probably do better locally, but at least this may be a place to start. The fact that you can hold the mother may turn out to be a life saver for her.

But you need to do this immediately.

Rodney

We don't have any poisons on the streets, I'm totally sure about it, because I'm often outside and I haven't noticed anything like it. They are not important here, because, you will be surprised, but - we don't have rats on the streets Anyway, I live few metres from fields and they hunt only there...they don't hunt city mice and rats.

And about that sickness, I was pointing to her LEG (now I think that there was some mistake in my english language skills and "sick" is not the right word ) but it is possible, that something else is happening to them...

Yes, we have laws about protecting hawks, but kestrel is not a hawk and it is not protected in our country, there are really lots of them in a wild, only few last years they moved to cities. And that's why I didn't contact anyone about it, but sometimes I was thinking about it. I'm afraid, that we don't have any rehabilitation centers in my city and travelling far (hundreds of kilometres) with wild bird is not the best for him.

And I have other question about their behavior, today I was just standing on balcony and watching the family, suddenly mother started to scream. I thought, that she's afraid of me so I started to move to a flat, to get there, I had to go around nest and when I was closing, she screamed again...then she went out of pot and flew away, I was watching her and she went to male on a roof, where she fighted him!!

Now I read your post, I will contact the man you found, thank you for that, and I will talk to him about next steps. But problem is - as I wrote and I know about it, that cities, where it can be possible, are hundreds kilometres from me.

::I couldn't get anyone responsible on the phone, I'm waiting for response to my email.

Edited by majo d on Jun 06, 2008 at 06:06 PM GMT

Majo d,

Sorry if there was a miscommunication. I am not implying anything about Slovakian health conditions. Here we have, at times, a serious problem with appartment and building managers deciding to poison pigeons. They don't even think about the poison's possible effects on people or birds. And the same applies to the situation with rodent poisons. So I figured it can happen anywhere.

And even the country side areas are not exempt to this problem of the misues of poisons. As an example. we are looking at a serious decline in the Barn Owl population. It looks to have been made worse by rodent poisons. We have instituted a program that now encourages farmers to look at the Barn Owl as the more efficient free rodent control that they can be. Here todays difficult economics helps because the birds do the work for free. And all the farmer needs to do is let us place a habitat box for the birds. And the current problem is finding enough barns as "big agriculture" becomes even more dominant over small farms.

regarding the Kestrel not being a hawk. Technically you seem to be right, it is in the falcon family. Here our legislation groups hawks and falcons and they get the same protection. To me they look like a small hawk; so I call them hawks in error.

On language: You deserve all the credit for your english skills. But yes injured might be a more accurate description, if it is only her leg. I repect that you're writing in Engkish and while I have the Rosetta Stone language CD's. I can neither speak nor read any Slovakian. So definitely no apology needed on your part, at all.

So I'm just trying to help a bit. And yes I'm interested in how this all works out. Where are you in Slovakia? I will look it up on a topo map if you give me the city or town.

regards
Rodney O

Humm. No response at that phone number.

I will call the international wildlfie group in California and see if they have a better phone number.

back in a bit.

Majo d

Congratulations on your photo work with these Kestrels. I understand from you that the mother is flying ok. So yes we can relax a bit now.

Keep up the good work.



Edited by Rodney O on Jun 09, 2008 at 01:59 AM GMT

I have some bad news again...

Male didn't come two days. Babies are very hungry. Mother is screetching all the time. I was watching other nests here around and males came two times or more today.

Mother brought some prey twice, in the morning and around 2 hours ago. But it was too little. Babies are eating everything what they can find in the pot. Also, the younger one is half of size the older, and there's only 4 days between them. So I'm afraid, that younger won't live long...

I can give them fresh meat tommorow, but I don't know if it's the best idea. Maybe I should wait for male. I hope that nothing serious happened to him.

Thank you for posting these photos and describing the events. The photos are great! You are a good person and a wonderful friend to these kestrels. I hope all works out well for the birds but, as we all know, the life of a wild animal is not easy.

Does anyone know if kestrels return to the same nest each year or do they establish new nests?

Lee

Wow - I want to know where I can get some "Kestrel Seeds" so I can grow some of these in my garden!

Seriously though - Amazing shots, and what a lucky experience to witness this whole fledge cycle!

Keep 'em coming... and keep us updated!

-Rich

This is very special and you are very fortunate for the experience. Thanks so much for sharing this with us.

Terry

LeeOts wrote:
Thank you for posting these photos and describing the events. The photos are great! You are a good person and a wonderful friend to these kestrels. I hope all works out well for the birds but, as we all know, the life of a wild animal is not easy.

Does anyone know if kestrels return to the same nest each year or do they establish new nests?

Lee

Kestrels don't establish nests. They are using abandoned nests after other birds, or some places which satisfy their needs.
And I'm not sure if they return to same place every year. I'll tell you next year

Hello again, now I need some help.
Male haven't come since friday. Babies are still very hungry and tired, they can't move, they are sleeping all the time and all energy they spend for screaming for food. Mother is always with them, she's becoming nervous when I come to balcony.

Sure I don't want them to die, so I decided that I will feed them. For now it's the only way how to keep them alive. Mother doesn't want to eat as much as babies.
But I need some advices about food.

I will give them ONLY fresh meat. In a morning, I gave them some pieces of pork meat. But also I have lots of chicken hearts, livers and stomaches and I think that it will be better for them, it's much more nutritious than common meat/flesh, isn't it?

So I need some advices about how to feed them. I would try to give meat to mother in some extraordinary way, not just put it in front of her. She should search for it, fight for it, etc...

I'm going to contact a local zoo, maybe they can give me some more informations.

So what do you think? Any ideas?
Thank you very much in the name of kestrels

23 - Babies, 8.june 2008


Edited by majo d on Jun 08, 2008 at 11:25 AM GMT

Edited by majo d on Jun 08, 2008 at 11:26 AM GMT

These are magic photos.

And I think a vet at a zoo may be best able to advise. At least the zoo may provide the name of someone who can help. Where I live in Australia, there seem to be few vets who know much about birds.

Best of luck to all of you.

Charles.

I'm not sure I can help much at all, but a lady I work with has a dad that is a vet, she said they had a injured kestrel and they feed him crickets (before that he would not eat, but he loved the crickets). I know this was already suggested by Rodney earlier in the post.

These are remarkable. Thank you for sharing these special photos.

I am mesmerized by all of this.. we have many Kestrels here and you would NEVER ever get to photograph such a thing or get this close unless the bird was with a re-habber...
These are incredible and something I have never seen before so I thank you for your marvelous documentation.. you are doing a great job...
G Horn