Baby Kestrel(s)!

BREAKING NEWS: far too many humans are horrible Republicans, excuse the redundancy, but that’s not news.

What’s news is I caught a glimpse of a near-fledgling American Kestrel in the corner cornice this afternoon!Looks like a male with those spots. He pulled this ribbon, some leftover from the previous (Starling, methinks) occupants of this cornice, inside. Um, actually, probably where it will be in the way…

How many more are there in there? Fledglings have a high mortality rate, so the let’s hope there are more than a couple in there.

Note that Peregrines usual rest right on the edge of a cliff or a building-like cliff, but these kestrels are at the bottom of a cavity. They have to be able to jump/fly up to the port hole before they can get out.

#BrooklynKestrels parents: Mom. Dad*. Looking haggard — but not a “haggard hawk,” that is, in the terms of falconry, one captured from the wild to be trained.

*Well, no DNA test has been run.

I’ve been watching the male since January, the pair since February. Spotted the male checking out this cornice hole in February. It’s been a fantastic half-year adventure getting to this stage. I wrote more extensively about them in the Clapper Rail, too.

Stay tuned.