Diario de ikovalev

We have an intruder alert!

The male kestrel flies (or runs, if you prefer) out of the nest because a few jackdaws landed thoughtlessly just five meters away. Not only did they land, but they also started an unplanned squawk that echoed throughout the area. With the female nearby, it's time to demonstrate vigilance, strength, and quick response!

The incubation goes on. Typically, kestrel parents share the responsibility of caring for their young, and our family is no exception. The female spends most of her time in the nest, but when she flies out to stretch her wings, the male is also willing to take over the incubation duties. However, his main concern is searching for and bringing food. Sometimes, neighboring males might approach the nest, which causes our male to become anxious and defensive. The photo captures a moment right after lunch. The female is deep inside the nest sitting on the eggs - she's not visible from this angle. The male is perched on the edge of the wall, near the exit. Look how handsome he is! He's perfectly posing as the dad, the protector of the nest, and the provider.

Analyzing bird behavior is for professionals. I am not an ornithologist at all, but yesterday, on April 3rd, the female's behavior changed and she no longer spends hours on the edge of the niche, observing the surroundings.

She was in the depth of the niche all day - this suggests that eggs have appeared in the nest. Of course, it was raining yesterday. However, the day before yesterday the rain was even heavier. And it didn't stop her from being in her usual places - on the edge of the niche, at the highest point of the roof, or flying about her business.

Judging by the video broadcast from birdwatch.by - which is in the same city - there are already three eggs in the nest. And the first one appeared on March 30, 2024. On March 30th, our heroes had an active fight for the female by three male competitors - photos will appear someday.

In the meantime, a photo of the couple together - the female (left) and the male (right) in their nesting niche.

Best regards, Ivan

The photo was taken in the ventilation shaft of a multi-story building, where the “plucking place” is located. This is where the female usually eats the prey brought to her by the male. The female has just managed to eat a rodent, which the male brought her ten minutes earlier. While she was eating, the male was sitting in the nesting niche and cleaning his feathers.

The photo captures the moment when the male kestrel flies into the “plucking place” and mating is about to begin. The duration of one act of mating in these Common kestrels is about 10 seconds. After that, the male will fly away, make a few rounds, and sit down nearby. The female will remain in this niche and will clean her feathers.

It turns out that not only the Homo sapiens of Brest are woken up at night by noisy motorcyclists. The Falco tinnunculus of Brest are also forced to open their eyes.

🗨️ This greeting is from a jackdaw that got into the camera frame while preening its feathers. Jackdaws are mostly monogamous, so if you see one, the other is somewhere nearby. If one takes off, the other follows. The hero of this photo is a member of a family that is nesting in a ventilation shaft, the same one where it was photographed. They bring twigs here and throw out various rubbish. Photos of this amusing family are still awaiting you, dear readers.

This story happened on March 27. A pair of jackdaws, sitting quietly near their future nest, proudly surveyed the surroundings. They decided to build their nest in the ventilation shaft of a 9-storey building.

The advantage of this place was a staircase that people have not used for many years. And this staircase conveniently covers the entrance to the future nest. It is also very convenient to sit on it. Well, yes, the disadvantage is that there is a kestrel's nest ten meters away. But here, it is not clear who will interfere with whom - we, the proud Jackdaw tribe, or they - just some Falcons.

And one more thing. Of course, there is a disadvantage that besides the two of us jackdaws, there are other jackdaws. Who for some reason need to sit on our, which has become so familiar, staircase. And we have to sort things out.

In this photo series, you, dear readers, can see an example of such a showdown.

Sometimes the female kestrel goes deep into her "room". It's hard to see her without a camera. It feels like she's gone for a long time. In fact, she spends most of the time before incubation in the "nesting room". She sits, watches the world and waits for her male to bring food.
There are exceptions, like today's sunny day, when the future parents were actively flying around the area. But more often it is waiting and contemplation.

Today it was cloudy in the first half of the day, and it started to rain in the second half. During the rain, the kestrels sat each in their own "room" (= a ventilation hole). During the day, the future father brought mice to the future mother.

The pair has a constant behavioral pattern:

1. The female waits.
2. The male arrives with prey.
3. The male gives the prey to the female. The female flies to a separate "room" where she usually eats.
4. The female utters sounds of gratitude (for about 1 minute).
5. The female eats the prey. At this time, the male sits in the "room" and cleans his feathers.
6. After the prey is eaten, the male flies to the female. The act of love takes place, which lasts about 10 seconds. And he flies away.
7. The female, after sitting for about 10 minutes in the "feeding room", flies to the "nesting room".

While editing photos, I managed to find a great image of a pair of kestrels that I have been observing with my camera. It's easy to mistake this photo for a drawing - the angle of the shot is such. But, the main characters also know how to fly out of their "rooms" at completely unimaginable angles. The photo generated a lot of discussion on reddit.

The photo captures the moment when a male kestrel brings a mouse to the female. The female prepares to eat, while the male flies away. They use this ventilation hole as their dining table. The nest is located in another ventilation hole.

Today it got warmer - in the morning +5°C, after sunrise the temperature quickly rose to +15°C. In the first half of the day the sun was shining brightly, after lunch clouds appeared and it became slightly cloudy.

The Kestrel mother is in her favorite ventilation duct, where the nest will be. The Kestrel father regularly brings her mice. Jackdaws now show little interest in Kestrels. Not like in early spring. Jackdaws are more busy chasing away Wood Pigeons from their ventilation ducts. It is possible that two Jackdaw nests will appear near the Kestrel nest. Last year the roof of the house and the ventilation ducts were completely in the possession of the Kestrel. Now the balance of power will change and the Jackdaws will share the territory with the Kestrels. Let's see what happens.