Kestrel 



by. He does not build a nest for himself, but occupies the 

 deserted home of a Crow or Magpie, a hole in a tree, if 

 possible one which is open at the top, or the ledge of the 

 cliff near the sea-shore. There, with little or no addition 

 of material, the six eggs, of a beautiful rich red colour, are 

 laid, but occasionally they have a paler ground colour and 

 are blotched with deep red. 



In about three weeks the young are hatched, and, as in 

 the case of all birds of prey, are thickly covered with pale 

 greyish down. At first their parents on bringing the food 

 tear it up for them and allow the young to peck it from 

 their beaks, but as they grow and their appetite increases 

 (for their voracity at this age is enormous), the food is merely 

 brought to the nest and the young tear it to pieces and eat 

 it without further aid. Like several other birds, the Kestrel 

 at such a time does not hunt in the immediate vicinity of 

 his nest, and, except that he may occasionally be seen flying 

 over, he is seldom " at home " to reveal the presence of his 

 young. At the age of five or six weeks the young leave 

 the nest ; at first they do not fly much but remain perched 

 near the nest and are still carefully watched and tended 

 by the parents, while they gradually learn to catch and 

 capture their own food. 



At this time the family is always to be found near the 

 nest, and that locality having been to a certain extent 

 untouched, there is presumably abundant food for the young 

 birds without their having to wander far afield. In this 

 manner the summer passes, and as the days draw in and 

 food becomes scarcer, the old birds become weary of their 

 offspring and may frequently be seen fighting and driving 



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