Kestrel Nest Camera | April 2022 | Kestrel lays Eggs #3 #4 & #5

An Artist's Research: It has been a busy week for the Kestrels. At the start of the week there were just two eggs in the nest. Since then the female has laid two more. She is now sitting on clutch of 5. The eggs have been laid 2 days apart, although sometimes it is tricky to see when the next one is laid as they are brooding the eggs most of the time. It's only when the lift off to have a stretch that you get a brief glimpse. It is often reported that only the female kestrel broods they eggs, but I haven't found this to be the case with my pair. The male and female swap incubating duties frequently, allowing their partners to go off to stretch their wings multiple times a day. The kestrels seem very focused when swapping brooding duty. They are very matter of fact and barely give each other a second glance. This is very different from my barn owl nest camera and my tawny owl nest camera - the owls seem much more loved up and are often preening each other and mating.