The Richard Hendrick Kestrel Conservation Project – 2026

Posted on by

The 2026 NCW Audubon Kestrel box project is nearly complete, and we are on tract to fledge more than 500 birds this year. This season we installed seven boxes with cameras and were fortunate enough to have two of them occupied by kestrels. Below are photos from one of the boxes where four kestrels fledged on August 15.

Day 1 (July 16): The first egg hatched. Kestrel eggs typically hatch within about 24 hours
of one another.
Mom feeds her kids on day 9.
Day 13: You can see the nestlings are starting to develop feathers but still
showing mostly down. Still huddled to stay warm. Will soon be able to thermoregulate.
A significant change in size and feather development by day 20. Getting a bit crowded.
Here on day 28 the kids start to leave the nest box. One has already left and one is about
to leave.
Day 30, nobody home. All 4 nestlings successfully fledged!! Notice the sides of the box
Compared to Day1.

Leave a Reply