BABY KESTREL there that’s better

A good feed makes all the difference and Kes, our baby kestrel is looking much better.   He’s still frightened and wanting his mum but he is eating and that’s the main thing.   His beak opens wide and he gulps down the slivers of meat hungrily.  He’s also had some egg yolk and it was obvious that he enjoyed that.   Sticking up for himself is still in his mind and when we attempt to pick him up to start to feed, he leans back and strikes out with his feet.   At this stage it doesn’t hurt and is easily avoided, it would be a different thing if he was adult.   You need a leather glove to be able to handle a full grown kestrel, their talons pierce the skin without them even thinking about it.

We’d like him to trust us and hopefully he will eventually, at the same time we don’t want him to become tame.   Releasing him into the wild is the outcome we hope for.