Before the chicks appeared, the female almost never sat on the cable channels. But now, since the chicks love to sit on the cable channels, she also takes this place. She carefully controls the airspace. Now she has to control more than before. Before, all four chicks sat in one nesting niche, but now they sit wherever they want. Usually, three are in three different ventilation niches, and one is on the roof railing. Try to keep track of them! But our mom manages it - she confidently controls all the space!

📌 The first look at the first Sun in life.

🗨️ When mom is in the nest, it gets crowded. You can peek outside. And mom probably gives you some courage. Although, this is probably my human anthropomorphization of bird behavior.

And outside, there is the Sun that hasn't set yet and the bright evening world. Before, you used to hide in the shadows. And now you step into the light. And here it is, the first glimpse of the first Sun in life.

📌Using the nearest niche for caching

🗨️ In this series of photos, the female kestrel (our mom from the first family where the first chick was recently spotted) uses the niche closest to the nest for caching food. This niche is hidden by a fire escape. It's about 3 meters away from the nesting niche. This recent photo of the male was taken right on it when he was also checking for tasty rodent supplies a few weeks ago.

Usually, the female spends some time on the roof railings. And at some point, which she determines by signs known only to her, she decides - it's time to feed the kids! And she visits the next niche.
At this moment, after 10 minutes of sitting at the top of the fire escape, the female flew to the niche. From which she took out a rodent. She sat for half a minute on the ladder, checking if there was anyone else around. And she flew to the nest, where deep inside she passed the delicacy to her chicks.

📌 Flying after its shadow with a Useful Load

🗨️ The photo shows a female kestrel flying out of a niche where food is stored for later use. This behavior is known as hoarding and caching. The mother is heading to the nesting niche to feed her chicks. The photo was taken at sunset, and it feels like she is flying after her shadow.

📌 The female of another family

🗨️ In the previous photos, you could see a family of kestrels - the male, female, and their chick (or chicks, as the number is still unclear). However, on the same building but a different wall, there lives another family of kestrels.

It's unclear if they have chicks yet. Nevertheless, here are photos of the female. The female of another family.

📌 Sweetie, is something wrong?

🗨️ Remember the photo from yesterday where the male kestrel gave a rodent to the female? I observed an interesting behavior - the male handed over the rodent, the female took it with joyful cries, flew away... and came back with the same rodent just a few seconds later!

Of course, my human brain immediately imagined the male's puzzled expression 😁 But that's anthropomorphism. What the female was doing behind the male's back, I couldn't figure out. Whether she was eating or hiding it again, I don't know. Where she flew during those seconds, I also didn't see, as my eyes were limited by the camera's viewfinder while photographing 🫠

📌 Darling, we still have some delicacies in the fridge

🗨️ In previous photos, there was a moment when the male brought a rodent to the female and handed her the prey on the roof. However, there are times when the male arrives with a rodent, but everyone is already full. So, what to do? Resourceful kestrels know that besides the nesting niche, there are also several free ventilation niches. And why not store their precious rodents there?

This photo captures such a moment - first, the male flew in without a rodent, found a hidden rodent in the niche, called the female, she flew in and took it. The male sat for another ten seconds and then flew back to his favorite roof.

We have an intruder alert!

The male kestrel flies (or runs, if you prefer) out of the nest because a few jackdaws landed thoughtlessly just five meters away. Not only did they land, but they also started an unplanned squawk that echoed throughout the area. With the female nearby, it's time to demonstrate vigilance, strength, and quick response!

The incubation goes on. Typically, kestrel parents share the responsibility of caring for their young, and our family is no exception. The female spends most of her time in the nest, but when she flies out to stretch her wings, the male is also willing to take over the incubation duties. However, his main concern is searching for and bringing food. Sometimes, neighboring males might approach the nest, which causes our male to become anxious and defensive. The photo captures a moment right after lunch. The female is deep inside the nest sitting on the eggs - she's not visible from this angle. The male is perched on the edge of the wall, near the exit. Look how handsome he is! He's perfectly posing as the dad, the protector of the nest, and the provider.

Analyzing bird behavior is for professionals. I am not an ornithologist at all, but yesterday, on April 3rd, the female's behavior changed and she no longer spends hours on the edge of the niche, observing the surroundings.

She was in the depth of the niche all day - this suggests that eggs have appeared in the nest. Of course, it was raining yesterday. However, the day before yesterday the rain was even heavier. And it didn't stop her from being in her usual places - on the edge of the niche, at the highest point of the roof, or flying about her business.

Judging by the video broadcast from birdwatch.by - which is in the same city - there are already three eggs in the nest. And the first one appeared on March 30, 2024. On March 30th, our heroes had an active fight for the female by three male competitors - photos will appear someday.

In the meantime, a photo of the couple together - the female (left) and the male (right) in their nesting niche.

Best regards, Ivan