I was all smiles when all six of single kestrel dad Mr Kes' chicks got their ID rings. After such a difficult start it felt like they had finally made it and were now ready to graduate to adulthood.

Watch Mr & Mrs Kes interact live on my nest cam:    • Live From Fotherdale | Robert E Fuller   and follow their story in this playlist:    • Kestrels  Mr & Mrs Kes | Wild Lives ...  

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ABOUT THIS FILM
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The story

When these six kestrel chicks lost their mother it was touch and go whether they would survive. But with a little support from me, their amazing dad, Mr Kes, learned to care for them on his own. This was really incredible given that male kestrels don't usually do this and in most cases motherless kestrel chicks die.

Single kestrel dad

I helped Mr Kes by putting extra food into the nest, but mostly he worked round the clock to keep his six chicks fed. I kept a close eye on their progress via my nest cams ready to intervene if necessary.

Kestrel chicks grow

It wasn't long before the chicks could feed themselves and at three weeks old their flight feathers came through. At three weeks old the nest was a little crowded and it was almost time for them to fledge.

ID rings

But before they left, we needed to attach ID rings to their legs. This is done by Jean Thorpe, a licensed bird ringer. Jean fits a lightweight metal ring, perfectly sized to fit for life, to each kestrel. Then we weighed them ready to send the data to the British Trust for Ornithology. All this data forms a national database, providing vital information about wild kestrel populations.

Heartwarming

After a tough start in life, it’s amazing to see all six chicks so healthy. After the tragedy of losing their mother, who would have thought? These chicks are thriving, and they’ll be ready to fledge in just a week’s time.

Next time

Subscribe to my channel to see their first flights and final steps towards independence.

ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!

You can also follow me on these platforms:
Website: https://www.robertefuller.com
Facebook:   / robertefullerart  
Twitter:   / robertefuller  
Instagram:   / robertefuller  

CHAPTERS
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00:00 Kestrel Chick Reunion
00:10 Recap
00:30 Male Kestrel is a Single Dad
01:27 Time for A CheckUp
02:26 Kestrel Chicks Developing Fast
02:46 Nearly Ready to Fly
03:03 Time for ID Rings
03:29 Retrieving the Youngest Three Chicks
04:11 Ringing the Chicks
04:30 Fitting the Ring
04:38 Weighing the Chick
05:13 Why Do We Ring Chicks?
05:36 Collecting the Next Three
06:01 Putting the Youngest Chick Back In
06:13 Ringing the Eldest Chicks
06:49 How Old Are the Chicks?
07:14 All Done!
07:49 Remarkable Outcome
08:01 Next Time…
08:15 End Titles

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© Robert E Fuller

Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to reupload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch: [email protected]

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