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Kestrel male checking on female in nest box in late February in snow-covered pasture
For at least a month in winter 2025-26 this female kestrel roosted in this box, leaving at dawn and returning around dusk. This video shows her hanging onto the entrance as full darkness sets in.
During a February snowstorm this female returned to the nest box earlier in the evening than usual, and peered from the entrance for a while.
Starlings removing shavings from kestrel box as part of their mating ritual. Starlings often remove all the installed wood shavings or chips until the floor is bare. If kestrels then take over the box and lay eggs on the bare wood floor, few or no eggs typically hatch since kestrels have trouble confining their eggs for proper incubation.
