First 2 Fledge at the Wisconsin Kestrel Cam! June 20, 2022

The first two American Kestrel chicks took their first flights this morning, popping out of the box at 710 and 731. This highlight includes footage from both the interior and exterior cameras. The other two chicks will likely follow suit today or tomorrow—keep watching to find out when!

The adults will continue to feed and care for the young birds for a number of weeks before the young of the year head off on their own independent paths.

Thanks for watching!

Watch the cams live at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/kestrels

The American Kestrel cam is a collaboration between the Cornell Lab or Ornithology and the Raptor Resource Project.

This American Kestrel pair is nesting in a gravel-bottomed nest on private property near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The nest box is located on the side of a traditional limestone-footed barn, overlooking a rolling grassland that slopes away into folded hills and forests. Our partners at the Raptor Resource Project have watched kestrels breed at this site for over 25 years, and the wonderful combination of grassland, forest, and water that surrounds the property is an excellent example of the habitat that kestrels need to survive and thrive. Watch cam.

The young birds begin to hatch out of their eggs after about a month of incubation. Over the following 3-4 weeks, the nestlings will transform from downy bobbleheads to sleek, dull versions of their parents on a diverse diet of invertebrates, small mammals, and birds (watch this highlight of the female feeding the young). After fledging, the young will continue to be cared for by their parents, remaining near the nest as they learn to hunt and master flight.

Don't miss the outside view! A second camera has been installed to give views of the nest box opening from the outside so viewers can observe the kestrels' comings and goings, as well as the nestlings once they begin peering outside. You can view both cameras at https://allaboutbirds.org/kestrels

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