A baby kestrel lost on its course
Many people want to help the sparrows and singing birds, which can be found in the cities, but it is rare to meet somebody who actively wants to help the city’s raptors. Many are probably under the impression that raptors do not want to live in the cities, but if you for instance have a tall tree in your backyard or if the end of the house is high up, then it is not difficult to make the kestrels move in, as they prefer to nest in the cities. The nesting box just needs to be big enough and hang at least 6 meters off the ground in order to be an attractive home for the kestrel couple moving in.
We actually had such a couple at the Natural History Museum up until a few years back. Every year the couple returned and by means of a webcam, it was possible to follow the babies’ development in the nest. Unfortunately, the rebuilding of our exhibition on the second floor bothered the couple so much that they sped up getting their babies out of the nest as quickly as possible. The last one was actually so young that it could not yet fly. This is usually not a problem as the parents feed the young one while it sits on the ground, but aside from kestrels, the University Park also has many crows such as hooded crows and jackdaws. And if there is something that crows cannot stand, it is raptors! A young and defenceless kestrel baby is therefore an obvious victim of bullying which the crows all want to start.
Under normal circumstances, nature would be allowed to take its course, but when it comes to raptors, the museum staff have a soft spot. The kestrel baby was therefore taken in and the falcon centre on Samsø was contacted, which promised to collect the young falcon the following day. After this, the time was spent taking care of the little foster “child” which was fed with pig’s heart and slept in a box surrounded by warm towels.