Kestrel's search for a mate
I first spotted Apollo in early April when I noticed him looking for somewhere to nest in woodland habitat I developed to encourage wildlife, named Ash Wood. The young male kestrel was sitting at the entrance to a tree hole, calling for a female to join him. When male kestrels want to attract a mate they will select a potential nest site and then call repeatedly for a female to join them so they can show off their find and hopefully be able to mate. Unfortunately, this particular spot was already occupied by a pair of barn owls and when a female kestrel finally responded to Apollo's pleas, he was unable to offer it to her and this female soon moved on.
Making a kestrel nest box
Competition for good nest sites in spring is fierce here in Yorkshire, so I decided to help this young male kestrel out. I worked round the clock to build the perfect kestrel nest box. Made from a hollow ash trunk. it looked very natural and, of course, had cameras hidden inside so that I could watch what happened. I streamed the action from this bird cam onto my YouTube channel so that my followers could also see how this male kestrel, who they named Apollo, got on.
Soon a female appears
It didn’t take long for Apollo to move in to my nest box, named Ash Hollow, and begin calling again to attract another mate. Watch the film below to hear what a kestrel's courtship call sounds like. Apollo even dug a shallow scrape into the floor of the nest to show how perfectly this box would suit a clutch of kestrel eggs. All this hard work paid off because it wasn't long before a new female appeared. Apollo could barely contain himself. Watch the film below for the moment he began bowing up and down in excitement as he greeted her. Her greying tail told me that she was at least three years old and fans on my YouTube livestream named her Athena.
How kestrels attract a mate
Apollo is only young and his enthusiasm made me suspect this was his first courtship. It was endearing to watch him rush out and fetch Athena a vole, and even a lizard, which is a real treat here on the Yorkshire Wolds where these reptiles are relatively rare to see.
Athena reveals her no-nonsense character
But it was a dry spring and food was increasingly scarce. It wasn't long before Apollo began to struggle to keep up his supply of treats for Athena. And a lack of food held no sway with this female kestrel. One day Apollo returned to the nest with nothing and she quickly whipped herself into a fury, cornering poor Athena in the nest and screeching at him! See this shocking interaction in the film below.
Athena seems to be a very forthright, no-nonsense individual. She’s courted before and knows the rules of kestrel courtship- and she doesn’t mind making it very clear to Apollo what his role in the relationship is. Thankfully, her approach worked and poor Apollo rushed off to try to find more food for her.
Kestrel eggs
Apollo's submissive strategy pays off and it’s wasn't long before Athena laid her first, red brown kestrel egg. When Apollo returned to the nest to see the egg for the first time he looked delighted and immediately sat down to protect the kestrel egg.
Apollo's namesake
My YouTube fans named this kestrel after the Greek god of light and reason, moderation and all things harmonious and considering how hard this kestrel works to keep the peace, the name suits him perfectly.
Watch the film
This film was made using the footage from my kestrel bird cam at Ash Wood. Watch it for this fascinating insight into how kestrels attract a mate.
Next video
My next video will follow this kestrel pair as they go on to raise five chicks. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get a notification when it comes out.
