'With a fierce show of vocal prowess, the kestrel unexpectedly snatched the vole out of thin air': Nothing ordinary about this kestrel's unexpected Hunt.
In towns and countryside across Britain, the common kestrel, known as 'kes', 'kessie', or 'moosie-haak', can be found gracefully soaring through the skies. This small bird of prey, known for its distinctive hovering maneuver, brings an element of beauty to common places. However, the kestrel population in Britain has seen a significant decline, making it an amber-listed species.
The decline in kestrel numbers may be due to various factors, including habitat loss, climate change, and exposure to chemical contaminants such as Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs). These rodenticides, used to control pest populations, can lead to secondary poisoning, affecting raptors like kestrels indirectly by contaminating their prey.
While other birds of prey, such as buzzards, goshawks, and red kites, are generally thriving in Britain, they do not directly contribute to the decline of kestrel populations. These species have often increased in numbers due to conservation efforts and improvements in their habitats. For example, buzzards have been expanding their range and increasing in number, partly due to the recovery of their habitats and the reduction of persecution.
Kestrels and these larger raptors occupy different ecological niches. Kestrels are primarily urban and open-field birds, while buzzards, goshawks, and red kites prefer more woodland or rural environments. Intraguild predation, where one larger bird of prey eliminates competition, has been observed, but it is unlikely to be a significant factor in the decline of kestrel numbers.
The primary concerns for kestrel populations would be more related to habitat changes, prey availability, and indirect effects from human activities like the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Kestrels are known for their ability to catch small mammals, but they can also take birds up to the size of a pigeon. They may even steal prey from other birds, such as short-eared owls.
The total number of kestrel breeding pairs in Britain is currently 31,000, down from 50,000 in the late 1980s. This decline has been a topic of interest in the scientific community, but the exact reasons are not extensively detailed in the search results.
For those interested in learning more about birds and the natural world, Mark Cocker's latest book, 'One Midsummer's Day: Swifts and the Story of Life on Earth', is out in paperback. Cocker, a naturalist and multi-award-winning author of creative non-fiction, also has a new book entitled 'The Nature of Seeing' scheduled for publication next year by Jonathan Cape.
The kestrel, with its windhover maneuver, captures the sweeping movement and magisterial stillness that Gerard Manley Hopkins, a 19th-century Jesuit priest, described in his poem 'The Windhover'. The kestrel, despite its decline, continues to bring a sense of otherness and beauty to everyday environments.
[1] https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/species/bird-a-z/kestrel/ [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322111897_Assessing_the_impact_of_Second_Generation_Anticoagulant_Rodenticides_on_Birds_of_Prey_in_the_UK [3] https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/species/bird-a-z/buzzard/ [3] https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/species/bird-a-z/goshawk/ [3] https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/species/bird-a-z/red-kite/
- The decline in kestrel numbers might be linked to factors such as habitat loss, climate change, and exposure to chemical contaminants like Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), which could indirectly impact their health and wellness via secondary poisoning.
- While the larger raptors such as buzzards, goshawks, and red kites are thriving in Britain due to conservation efforts and improvements in their habitats, their fitness-and-exercise regimens do not contribute to the decline of kestrel populations, as they occupy different ecological niches.
