Kestrels seem to be thriving in the Peak District, which is a lovely thought and we sincerely hope it’s true. They certainly are a very familiar sight hovering beside the roadside verges and fluttering above the gorgeous wild flowered country lanes. Unfortunately though, the truth is that this beautiful raptor is included on the ‘amber’ list of the RSPB’S ‘Category of Conservation Importance.’ Which means it needs a little help from farmers and landowners to keep it sustained. The figures are slowly declining, dating back from the 1970’s.
With its distinct pointed wings and long tail, its peachy plumage and grey blue head, kestrels are stunning looking birds. They’re found in a variety of habitats, especially abundant across the Derbyshire moors and they are quite commonly seen hovering above our farmland. They’ve even been seen close to urban and village areas, thus proving they’ve adapted nicely to living with us. They don’t like to go into dense forests or treeless wetlands and they can often be seen perched up on a high tree branch like little falcon stone statues or sat happily on a telephone post or wire, scanning the countryside below on the lookout for small mammals and birds.
They not only live here in the Peak District though of course, but are resident all over the UK and its estimated there are 36,800 pairs altogether. If you’re visiting the Peak District, you will definitely have a good chance of seeing one. Similar looking birds to the kestrel are the Sparrow hawk, the Merlin and the Hobby, but they are usually a little more elusive, so it will probably be a kestrel you’re looking at – but you never know! They sit very still if left undisturbed and it does give the observer chance to see exactly which bird is looking back at you if you have your bird identification book with you. They’re easily distinguished with their very pale brown, peachy plumage and they’re hunting behaviour when you get to know them, hovering at a higher rate of around 10 to 20 metres off the floor, their wings flapping steadily. They stay vertical until they see their chance and then swoop down like a rocket on their prey, usually taking small mammals, lizards, small snakes or large insects.
Kestrels are part of the Falcon family and its Latin name is Falco tinniunculus. The name Kestrel, is taken from the French ‘crecerelle’, which means ‘ratchet’ and they, like all the Falcon family, are more adapted to active hunting whilst on the wing. They need to have a slight headwind in order to hover and they’ve been bestowed a local name of ‘Wind hover’ which is perfectly lovely and so suitable.
Male and female kestrels, unusually for Falcons, vary in appearance quite a lot. The ladies are slightly larger than the men, which allow the pair to fill different feeding patterns over their home territory. They are very brave little Birds of Prey, and quite bold, having adapted to human encroachment. They even nest in buildings and hunt by major roads and motorways, seemingly oblivious to the human race getting on with their own lives just a few metres below them. Kestrels don’t build their own nests but use nests built by other species -if you don’t need to make your home yourself, borrow somebody else’s, why not!
The Common Kestrel, which we have here in the Peak District National Park, has cousins who live all over the world, but with slight variations on the colour and size. They can be found in countries such as Africa, Asia, China, the Indian subcontinent, all throughout the Mediterranean, and Russia
They’re actually the most common Bird of Prey in our country, even though their numbers have declined in Britain over last few years. Due to their hovering action whilst hunting, they’re also one of the easiest Bird of Prey in this country to spot. Whilst hovering, they have a really extraordinary ability to keep their head totally still, even in strong winds. This allows them to pinpoint and latch onto small mammals by their very keen eyesight. Sometimes, if the prey is abundant, kestrels have been known to kill more than they need and store what they don’t eat.
It’s lovely to just park up by the side of the road if you can when you see a kestrel in action. It probably won’t move too far away for a few minutes and if you have binoculars why not take a bit of time today and watch a small bird assassin at work. Marvel at their ability to stay in one place while flapping their wings like mad, against the sometimes inclement Derbyshire weather. They are true professionals at what they do – absolutely lethal, but so very pretty to look at the same time.
