Our kestrel
We design habitats – also for kestrels
A kestrel had chosen the window niche in the roof of one of our residential buildings in Mögeldorf as its nesting place. In consultation with the Species Protection Department of the Environmental Office of the City of Nuremberg, the attic window was opened in the early autumn of 2020 and a nesting box with a webcam and an additional small room were installed there to protect the birds. This created a new living space for the feathered inhabitants.
Detailed information on kestrels can be found here.
2025
After a magpie stole the egg from the nest, our pair of kestrels unfortunately did not return to the nesting box. We probably won't see any chicks hatch this year.
Unfortunately, a thieving magpie seized the opportunity and stole the egg from the unguarded nest. See the video.
Today was finally the day! Our female kestrel has laid her first egg. We are looking forward to an exciting breeding season.
Recently, it looked as if our kestrels had left the nesting box to the pigeons without a fight. But the kestrels don't seem to give up that easily. In the video, we see how the female kestrel surprises the pigeon in a moment of carelessness, attacks it and recaptures the territory. She sits proudly in front of the nesting box after her accomplishment. We can only hope that the male will return soon and that there will be offspring after all.
In kestrels, the invitation to mate usually comes from the female. She settles down near the male and lures him to her with so-called begging calls. Take a look at a mating attempt of our kestrels in the video here. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it worked this time.
Good to know: The male can be recognized by its light grey head and tail feathers. The female is uniformly reddish-brown in color and has cross-banding on her tail.
Our kestrels are showing themselves at the nesting box for the first time this year. We are very happy that they are back and hope for many kestrel chicks. In the video you can see the female's first mating attempt, which was unsuccessful.
The most beautiful pictures of the past breeding seasons can be found in the picture gallery and on our social media channels.
Technical and species conservation support: gruenstifter / gruenshoppen