Kestrel Kamp

Beginning on July 21 my home became Kestrel Kamp for a little baby kestrel that was going to spend time away from its first home, and prior to going to its new home. My friend Fox wanted to take a new kestrel to raise and imprint, however she was most unfortunately going to be out of state, in fact out of the country, during the critical window when this baby would be available. I was willing to pull the baby at the appropriate time and begin the imprinting process, handing it over to her when she returns.

We have a fellow falconer and kestrel enthusiast who has a very successful nest box in his back yard. His resident pair had already raised a family this year, starting rather early as kestrel breeding season goes, giving them ample opportunity to make a second go at it for another set of babies. He has a camera in his nest box so can watch the goings on in the box without disturbing the family. This was a peek into the box on the previous Friday, July 19. Feathers were just starting to appear, allowing the ability to pick one that would most likely be a female. I arranged to stop by on the Sunday morning just after I got off work. We ended up picking the largest eyas, which fortunately did turn out to be a female. I was helped to put the nestling's leg band on, and then I took her home to settle her in.

She would reside in a large plastic bowl, which happened to be a Halloween candy dish of which Rich's auction habit provided me with several to choose from. I would be able to change out her substrate of paper towels to keep her nest clean. All too very quickly her natural instinct of pooping up and outside the nest would decorate the area around where I was keeping her. I gave her a couple sock companions to lean on, but she quickly didn't need that. Upon our arrival home I fed her the first of many meals, a skinned and cut up mouse. She gobbled it down, then settled in to sleep, as I too had to do, as it was a work night for me.

I kept her upstairs in my guest room, safely out of reach of my dogs, on the bed, with protective old towels covering the bed spread. I decided to slip her nest bowl into this large cage I had on hand, which turned out to be a wise decision, as all very quickly she started hopping out of her nest. I didn't want her wandering around the room upstairs when not watched. Also, I felt the extra heavy duty cage would be one more layer of protection for her, unwatched in my upstairs room, as I have had a history of rats getting into my home twice in the 12 years we have lived there. I didn't want an opportunistic rat to come along and eat this precious baby.

Her first couple days she was just a cute little fluff ball, huddling low in her nest when I came in. She would perk up quick when food was offered, which came a regular 3 times a day, and consisting of an entire mouse, skinned, but all bones and most of the internal organs for all the nutrients to grow a baby kestrel.

When I was not working, I would spend time with her, cuddling her, and imprinting her to human contact. This will forever alter a baby bird to habituate to people, but that was the plan.

She was quite the personable muppet!

As she grew, which she did quickly, she would climb up my shirt and hide behind my neck.

Within just a few days her feathers were busting out all over. She now clearly showed the pattern to prove she was a female. Kestrels are one of the few raptor species that actually have a different feather pattern between male and female. Mostly with falcons you have to go with size to decide which is which.

She became a bit indignant of me picking her up to weigh her, which I did every day to track and make sure she was growing and putting on weight.

All too quickly she went from a fluff ball into being a bird.

She began to not be as interested in hiding behind my neck, as climbing higher, and possibly fledging, to check out higher perches, which she would have been close to doing has she remained in the wild.

On one of the last couple days before she would go to her new and final home I took a video of the feeding process. She was so very close to beginning self-feeding.

Just as she was reaching full size, and slowing down on the ravenous pace of eating she had been at for the two weeks she was with me, my friend came home, and she was introduced to her new mamma. Fox will continue the imprinting process, which is made all the more challenging now, as she is flighted and is putting those wings to good use. Fox works from home, so can give her a lot more one-on-one time than I could as a full-time working stiff.

Her name is Raincutter!

Fox is partial to dragon names from How to Train Your Dragon. After all, she is a tiny dragon!