Saturday morning, there was movement inside the American Kestrel cavity. I could see two nestlings.
On Sunday morning, they could see me. Two females and a male. Very possibly more in this spacious rust-bucket of a cornice.
To re-cap: for three seasons, American Kestrels bred on the corner above the Valentina bodega. This spring, that cornice was painted. The painters also sealed the hole in the cornice that led to the nest. These small falcons are unique among North American raptors because they nest in cavities. Rotting cornices provide such spaces here in the city.
Within a day or two, the kestrels had a new cornice hole, a long avenue block away from their old haunts.
Through all this, and a lot more: because the block they ultimately settled on has been the scene of tremendous street construction for weeks. Nevertheless, first incubation and then raising has been going on inside this metal den above a bus stop. (Coincidently, in previous years, another 5th Avenue nest was also right above another B63 bus stop.) And now they are emerging!
Backyard and Beyond 
Leave a comment