How many eggs do kestrels lay?
The average kestrel egg clutch is between three and six eggs, but it really depends on the weather and the body weight and general health of a female. Kestrels here at Fotherdale normally lay five eggs.
What colour are kestrel eggs?
The eggs are a red-brown, speckled colour and when they are first laid they are covered in a glistening mucus.
When do kestrels lay eggs?
Kestrels normally lay in late April or early May, but again this depends on the weather. It has been bitterly cold here over the last few days and Mrs Kes' first egg, which arrived on Easter Monday, April 5, 2021, was a little later than last year's clutch.
How often do kestrels lay eggs?
Kestrels lay one egg roughly every 48 hours, although it was two and a half days before Mrs Kes laid her second egg on April 8th. She laid her third on April 10th, and her fourth on April 12th.
When do kestrels brood their eggs?
Incubation usually begins once the third egg is laid and lasts roughly 27-29 days. However, occasionally both male and female kestrel will sit on their eggs at night and for short intermittent spells before the third egg is laid. Inside the nest at Fotherdale we noticed Mr Kes sitting briefly on the clutch after the third egg was laid. But Mrs Kes' case did not begin incubating her eggs full time until after the fourth was laid. The fifth and sixth eggs were laid on April 14th and 16th respectively.
Kestrels share incubation duties
Males are as invested as females in the incubation and eventual raising of the chicks and my cameras have captured the male kestrel practise sitting on the first egg after he notices it for the first time. Sometimes when a large clutch is due, the female kestrel will sit after the fourth and not the third egg. Once incubation begins properly, both male and female kestrel will share the role of incubating their clutch, although the female does most of the work. Jackdaws, crows, squirrels and even stoats will take kestrel eggs if they can so it is crucial that the kestrels guard their nest and Mrs Kes has been spending a lot of her time at the entrance to Sycamore Stump over the last few days.
Fotherdale's formidable falcon
Mrs Kes is fiercely protective and so far she has had to defend this nest from barn owls. However this is nothing compared with last year when her nest was raided by jackdaws, barn owls and tawny owls and she proved to be a formidable defender of her nest. Click here to read more about it and see the painting it inspired.
When to expect kestrel chicks
Kestrels incubate their eggs for 30 days on average, and so I am expecting the eggs to hatch around May 10th. These will hatch at two day intervals. I stream the action from inside this kestrel nest on my YouTube Channel. Click here to watch it.
Below is a recording of a live broadcast and Q&A all about kestrels and how they care for their eggs:
