This film follows the story of Apollo, a young male kestrel whose eagerness to find a mate and settle down lands him a partner that is more than a match for him.

Watch Apollo & Athena interact live on my nest cam:    • Live From Ash Wood | Robert E Fuller   and follow their story in this playlist:    • Kestrels  Apollo & Athena | Wild Liv...  

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ABOUT THIS FILM
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Apollo's search

I first spotted this young kestrel, named Apollo, in early April when I noticed him looking for somewhere to nest in Ash Wood. He was sitting at the entrance to a potential site, calling for a female kestrel to join him. Unfortunately, this spot was already occupied by a barn owl and when a female finally responded to his calls, he was unable to offer it to her. The female soon moved on.

I make him a nest

Competition for good nest sites in spring is fierce, so I decided to help this kestrel out. I worked round the clock to build the perfect kestrel nest box. Of course, it had cameras hidden inside so that I could watch what happened.

Now all he needs is a mate

It didn’t take long for Apollo to find it and he began calling again to attract another mate. He even dug a shallow scrape into the floor of the nest to show how ready this box is for kestrel eggs.

Cue Athena

All this hard work paid off because soon a female kestrel appeared. Apollo could barely contain himself, bowing up and down to greet her. Her greying tail indicated she’s at least three years old. The fans of my livestream named her Athena.

Kestrel courtship

Apollo is only young and by his enthusiastic attitude I suspect this is his first courtship. Eagerly, he brought Athena a vole. But it’s been a dry spring and food is scarce so when he cannot keep up the supply, she whips into a fury, cornering him in the nest and screeching at him!

Athena the kestrel

Athena seems to be a very forthright, nononsense individual. She’s done this before and knows the rules and she doesn’t mind making this very clear to Apollo. Thankfully, her tactic works and the poor male kestrel rushes off to find more food for her.

Kestrel eggs

The strategy pays off and it’s not long before Athena lays her first, reddish brown kestrel egg. When Apollo returns in the morning, he is so delighted he also settles down to protect the kestrel egg.

Apollo has matured

From young bachelor to hardworking mate, Apollo the kestrel has come a long way. He is named after the god of light and reason, moderation and all things harmonious and considering how hard this kestrel works to keep the peace, the name suits him perfectly.

Next video

My next video will follow this kestrel pair as they go on to raise five chicks. Subscribe to my channel to get a notification when it comes out.

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  
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Instagram:   / robertefuller  

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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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