The Common Kestrel: a Micro - Documentary 

Thank you Nicolette for your comment, we really appreciate it!

​@@birdofpreyprojecthelp me

Thant is incredibly kind Jeremy, thank you so much!

Thank you very much, Casper sure is a character!

Thank you Sarah for the kind words! Watch this space!

It is normal to see fluctuations in these populations as a result of the big increases in Buzzards, Kites, Goshawks and Peregrines - given that these species were previously in mass decline. What we need to look out for is continued rapid decline today, as these species are operating in an environment heavily influenced by human activity.

@@birdofpreyproject thank you for your reply. For what it's worth my opinion is that Buzzard numbers have increased dramatically over the past thirty years because of the increase in traffic and therefore an increase in road kills ( rabbit, badger , fox , pheasant etc) this is why Red Kites have done so well in my own neck of the woods ( east Northamptonshire) because road kill is extremely abundant and these birds have never had to work hard for a meal . However It is difficult not to notice the rapid decline in Tawny Owls and there is an argument that this is due to the increase in numbers of Kites who have been known to kill young tawny owls who have just left the nest These are just my opinion on observations I've made over the past fifty years of watching birds of prey in my region.

@@davidmclachlan6592 Tawny Owls have declined and nest site/prey competition from increasing populations of other species such as Red Kites has definitely played a part - but Tawny Owl numbers were high in previous years because other species were drastically low 30 years ago. Other factors are causing Tawny Owl decline which must be monitored, but predation from other raptor species is probably a small factor.

@@birdofpreyproject . ..... thanks for your interesting reply.

Thank you for the comment! They are amazing raptors for sure.

Thank you Simon, that's really kind. Thankfully Kestrels are a way off extinction just yet, but we are in danger of seeing Kestrels slip away from some regions of the British countryside.

They certainly do. Within 6 weeks from hatching they will be full size.

Thank you so much for commenting and subscribing! Great to hear that you enjoy watching and photographing kestrels and buzzards in the wild. Perhaps you would enjoy the microdocumentary we produced about the Common Buzzard? Keep up the good work!

Thank you Neil, so pleased you enjoyed the video!

Thank you Thomas! So pleased you enjoyed the video. Wishing you a nice weekend too.

@@birdofpreyproject Thank you

Glad you are seeing them in the wild, hopefully we can keep it that way.

Wow, sounds like a brilliant sighting, keep looking out for them!

Hi saniabdullah, they perch atop our window rails on the third floor in the mornings and evenings at Abuja. Gorgeous creatures.

They are amazing birds, thank you for commenting

Hi Stephen, thank you for your comment. Absolutely, it is tragic that kestrels are declining so quickly now since 2005. We will continue to spread awareness and hopefully gather useful data that can be contributed to conservation projects.

They often look deceptively large in flight! Casper only weighs about 180-190 grams.

@@birdofpreyproject I do agree with that, and Casper seems like a sweet one too. I'm doing my bachelor's thesis on their ecology in the urban area where I live, and it's good to get to see one next to an actual human before I go searching for them in the city!

@@sachaaspen7392 Wow fantastic! Sounds like a brilliant research project. If there is anything we can help with we would be happy to. Good luck with it.

@@birdofpreyproject Thank you! It's quite a bit far from England though (Romania) but if you have any sources about their general behaviour and nesting tendencies within urban areas (or whatever information, anything might be helpful), I'd be more than happy to accept your help if you offer it!

Fantastic!

Thanks Pete! He's named after Billy Casper from the film 'Kes'.

Thank you! Just a simple Canon 4000d with a nifty fifty macro lens!

Thank you very much!

Hi Marko, That is a hood, a piece of falconry equipment and probably our best welfare tool as falconers. We use the hood to take stress and frustration out of the equation for the hawk - for example whilst being transported to the site where the hawk will be flown, for veterinary exams, for changing equipment or simply if an unexpected stress factor, say a farmers tractor, turns up whilst we are out and about. The hawks are made to the hood which means they are trained to take it as part of their routine.

Hi Ibrahim, we'd be happy to provide you with as much advice as we can remotely - you can send us an email using info@woef.org.uk and we will get back to you.

Thank you Claude for the kind words!

Yes we are in Newton St Loe, 3 miles from the centre of Bath!