Feeding time at the Kestrel nest box in Co. Kerry is a rapid affair. Both adults are out hunting full time now, and only visit the nest to deliver the next meal. Blink and you'll miss it! At the start of this extended clip, as the chicks doze, we see an adult suddenly arrive with prey only for it to be snatched immediately by the eldest. The youngster misses its moment and tries to grab a bit while the eldest knocks back its latest meal.
Kestrel chicks, Co. Kerry, 30th May 2017 (M.O'Clery, under licence from NPWS).
They are growing fast, and the biggest are really looking like proper Kestrels now, as wing and tail feathers emerge and the body feathers start to appear. There's quite a bit of stretching and wing-flapping now, even from the youngest. Providing food for these youngsters is now a full-time job for the adults. If the weather remains reasonably benign, they'll all get their fill. As it is, all are doing well, and are in good health.
More soon.
