Help save our city kestrels

A JUVENILE rock kestrel has been received at NARREC outside Windhoek with the primary and secondary flying feathers on both wings cut.

This unfortunate bird should have been flying free and probably was of an age to be almost independent of any parental help with food, but the bird had either been trapped soon after leaving the nest or stolen from a nest and an attempt had been made to keep it captive. Keeping wildlife in captivity in Namibia requires a permit from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. Keeping any bird of prey is not allowed and falconry is illegal. Cities and towns create a range of habitats; the buildings, the river-beds with woodland edges, the planted gardens with diversity of indigenous and exotic flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, as well as nutritious grass planted as lawn, all create useful habitats for birds. Every species of bird is adapted to a specific habitat with preferred nest sites and preferred food items. Namibians are fortunate to have an interesting variety of small bird of prey species that adapt to living in and around our cities and towns. This diversity includes diurnal (day) falcons, goshawks and kestrels, nocturnal owls and even a crepuscular owl. The fortunate part is that these predatory birds control populations of creatures that are considered pests around homes, gardens and inner city areas. The pests include rodents, bats, some garden insects as well as small fruit- and seed-eating birds. The most common urbanised raptor is the rock kestrel, Falco tinnunculus. Throughout Namibia this 200-gram falcon has adapted to nesting on buildings and providing that their prey – rodents, lizards, small birds and insects – does not become scarce they can be seen around their city blocks throughout the year. As the summer approaches and usually with the onset of the first rains the city kestrels will take up their nest sites on a building ledge. Pairs prefer to use the same site each year and if the rainy season begins early and is extensive a single pair of kestrels may have two clutches of eggs in one summer season. The rock kestrels begin their breeding season in spring to early summer. After a four-week incubation period and an approximate five-week nestling period, great activity can be seen as two to four young birds leave the nest and spend much of their days over the next month or two playing in the wind and practising their flying and predatory techniques between the buildings. The city kestrel nest sites are often on window ledges of buildings. Many people only begin to notice the rock kestrels when the chicks are part grown and become vocal in their demands for food and attention. This period is when the city kestrels are at their most vulnerable. Quite often because of disturbance young birds leave the nest before they are able to fly properly. These young birds are at the mercy of people as they are unable to easily or quickly get back to a safe high perch on a building. Every year NARREC receives calls from people who have found young birds on a city street. These immature birds have an excellent chance of being released and joining the wild population if they are correctly assisted. Together with students from the Polytechnic of Namibia a survey of urban rock kestrel nest sites and other city-nesting birds of prey is being conducted. Any person that knows of a city or town bird of prey nest site is asked to call NARREC at (061) 26 4409 / 26 4256, or at 081 129 0565, or e-mail: liz@narrec.net .