A farm visit yesterday to ring some Barn Owls resulted in the bonus of a new Kestrel site being discovered when a female was spotted flying from an old sandstone barn. High up on the front wall is a small opening which catches the afternoon and evening sunlight. The chicks could just be seen bobbing their heads up and down to see what was going on in the wider world below. Upon inspection the cavity does not go through into the barn itself, but opens up into a wider ledge inside the wall providing a secure place for the Kestrel to nest. Six chicks were huddled together inside, which is the largest brood of the year and takes the number of Kestrel young ringed up to forty nine. Just around the corner, no more than ten yards away, an owl window opens into the side of the barn where five healthy Barn Owl chicks were also ready for ringing. A great result for one farmyard.
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