Rescue
Average life-expectancy for a kestrel is just 4 years, so, we were astonished to discover this male kestrel had been ringed in 2014!! Yes, he is a decade old!
The oldest ever recorded Eurasian kestrel was just shy of 16 years old, so we've taken on the challenge of helping this old guy, hopefully, become a record-contender!
Rehabilitation
Found grounded, underweight and holding his left eye closed, he'd obviously been caught out in the early cold weather of winter, and struggled to find food.
Despite no fractures, he's showed initial difficulty in taking flight and maintaining it. But, what he did have on his side was serious appetite!
After ensuring he was stable, which includes being warm and rehydrated, we offered the oldie some solid food. Usually we're not surprised if a patient opts not to eat straight away, as the whole ordeal of being rescued, assessed and placed in a strange place is pretty stressful, but, much to our delight, the kestrel got tucked in straight away, showing us his impressive prey-killing skills.
Over the following week, we focused on allowing the amber-listed bird to gain some much needed weight. After eating everything he was offered, the kestrel began gaining weight like there was no tomorrow.
On day nine, he was moved into one of our large flight aviaries, where he began to show his experience as a master of the sky!
Release
Twelve days after he arrived, our old'n'goldie was ready to return to his home range.
