  The Kestrel, or as it is sometimes called, “the Windhover,” is one of the most graceful and harmless of our small Hawks. Year in, year out, he is with us, and his beautiful flight may be observed throughout these islands. He may be seen on any fine day high up in the air, remaining apparently motionless, but ever and anon keeping his position by a few rapid and quivering wing-beats, he will then turn slowly sideways and, revealing as he does so a red back and dark quills, he will describe a wide curve and again hang motionless in the wind. He is at last beginning to be recognised as one of the farmer’s most useful friends, and as a perfectly harmless adjunct to the Pheasant covert, and thus he is yearly becoming more abundant. He feeds entirely on mice and small rodents, and only occasionally on small birds such as Larks. KESTREL Towards the end of April the Kestrel repairs with his mate to his former abode or to some convenient spot near by. He does not build a nest for himself, but occupies the deserted home of a Crow or Magpie, a hole in a tree, if possible one which is open at the top, or the ledge of the cliff near the sea-shore. There, with little or no addition of material, the six eggs, of a beautiful rich red colour, are laid, but occasionally they have a paler ground colour and are blotched with deep red. In about three weeks the young are hatched, and, as in the case of all birds of prey, are thickly covered with pale greyish down. At first their parents on bringing the food tear it up for them and allow the young to peck it from their beaks, but as they grow and their appetite increases (for their voracity at this age is enormous), the food is merely brought to the nest and the young tear it to pieces and eat it without further aid. Like several other birds, the Kestrel at such a time does not hunt in the immediate vicinity of his nest, and, except that he may occasionally be seen flying over, he is seldom “at home” to reveal the presence of his young. At the age of five or six weeks the young leave the nest; at first they do not fly much but remain perched near the nest and are still carefully watched and tended by the parents, while they gradually learn to catch and capture their own food. At this time the family is always to be found near the nest, and that locality having been to a certain extent untouched, there is presumably abundant food for the young birds without their having to wander far afield. In this manner the summer passes, and as the days draw in and food becomes scarcer, the old birds become weary of their offspring and may frequently be seen fighting and driving With the advent of spring they have in their turn to seek a permanent home; perhaps they will meet with an older bird who has lost his mate during the winter and has a home ready, or perhaps they will inadvertently try to settle near an old eyrie and be driven away, but eventually a place will be found, and the inhabitants of a new district will be delighted, if they have eyes for Nature, by the charming ways and flight of their new visitors. The adult male on the upper parts is of a deep chestnut, spotted or barred with black; under parts pale buff, striped with black. The head and nape are bluish grey, as is also the tail, which has a broad subterminal black band and is tipped with white. The female is more barred on the back and has the head brown, striped with darker. The tail is rufous, barred with black and slightly tinged with grey. The young resemble the female. Length 14 in.; wing 9·5 in. |
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