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Author: Subject: Hawk Alert
Woooosh
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[*] posted on 12-30-2007 at 02:23 PM


I have two Kestrel Falcons (Paco and Margarita) that I rescued last year froma guy selling them on the beach. They didn't teven have feathers yet and had fallen from the nest. They did so well I built them a flight aviary and they had one offspring this summer that I'll release back into the wild in the spring. I buy most of their food on line (frozen mice and quail) but also have a sparrow trap to catch live ones for them so they can hunt/survivie in the wild if they need to. I've built and mounted a few Kestrel nesting boxes to help keep them in the area. A kesterel (AKA Sparrow Hawk) is too small to catch anything much bigger than a mouse or small sparrow. MOst Kestrel actually prefer to hunt bugs. They are local to the region and are part of the natural ecosystem. Let's live with what is here naturally before we decide to pull out the shotguns and kill everything that flies.

Also. I'm NOT a falconer- as I don't participate in the hunting aspect of the sport. Motivating falc0ons to hunt and then return to you is all about weight control. I'm not comfortable depriving food as motivation (ask my 125 pound blind lab) so I prefer to just handle, educate others and enjoy them at home- without taking them out to hunt.
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Osprey
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[*] posted on 12-30-2007 at 02:29 PM


Woosh, we have lots of kestrals around my place so I get to observe up close. More than once I have seen adult oriols diving/attacking kestrals on nearby rooftops. I haven't researched it but this tells me kestrals also eat nesting chicks and/or their eggs. Am I right about that?
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Woooosh
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[*] posted on 12-30-2007 at 02:44 PM


I'm not surprised the Orioles attack Kestrels- they are small and don't have the killing power of larger falcons. Kestrels usually fall prey to the larger hawks themselves- which is why I have a such a soft spot for them. I wouldn't doubt they'll eat baby chicks of any type from a nest though- such is nature. I haven't seen them take any interest in eggs themselves. If I can figure out how to post a pic or two of my birds- I will.
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Woooosh
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Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach

[*] posted on 12-30-2007 at 02:50 PM
My female kestrel


Here's a pic of my female Kestrel.

[Edited on 12-30-2007 by Woooosh]
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Cypress
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[*] posted on 12-30-2007 at 02:51 PM


The key to survival is altitude for those raptors, the key to survival for us is attitude.:biggrin:
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