Our American Kestrel (Scales and Tales) - "My little buddy"
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- This American Kestrel is part a member of a nature center I used to work at, which takes care of non-releasable birds of prey and reptiles. These animals were designated as non-releasable either as a result of injury or due to being taken in from the wild (usually intended as pets) and becoming accustomed to humans (therefore unable to hunt on their own).
At a nature center as a park naturalist, I came across this little kestrel and was immediately drawn to him. He was injured as a juvenile years ago in a logging accident, and he is missing half of his wing. He was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation facility following his injury, but unfortunately as a result of missing half of his wing, he was unable to be re-released. He would be unable to survive in the wild, due to the fact that American Kestrels use the full capacity of their wings hover over their prey before catching them. The wildlife rehabilitation facility he was looking for a place to re-house him, and he came to the nature center as part of a state program that seeks to educate children and adults alike about the importance of environmental stewardship. I was a park naturalist at the time of filming this video and had dual responsibilities in animal care-taking and environmental education.
During my time at the park, I became very interested in learning more about enrichment opportunities. Very little has been researched on enrichment opportunities for birds of prey. I read Temple Grandin’s fascinating books on enrichment and established an enrichment program. I put up this video in hopes that if other nature centers and facilities that house these birds come across similar behavioral issues, they can perhaps use the information I gathered from my experience to benefit both caretakers and the housed birds. I found that there should certainly be more of a forum on this topic on the internet, so hopefully this helps some nature centers out there. Let me know if you have an questions! (The account has been inactive for awhile - oops!) I'll try my best to answer :)
In short, this bird was exhibiting repetitive and abnormal behavior when I first arrived. However, I then started taking him on walks and working with him, and now he's a changed bird - if you hold out your glove to him, he'll hop right on now, and no longer exhibits signs of stress, in or out of his mew - although, truth be told, he's not a fan of dogs in the park and will "killy" at them if he sees them.
Here, I explain process of enrichment, and I introduce the little guy to youtube :)
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PS: Thank you to all those who have commented - I realized through your comments that the description wasn't very descriptive before, so hopefully this new one helps clarify things :)
Too cute! Kestrels made a nest on my balcony and they have 5 eggs. ;)
I love kestrals, especially seeing happy ones like this guy.
American kestrels are the cutest falcons
That little guy is one of the sweetest photogenic Model I’ve ever seen ❤️❤️escape Artist❤️❤️ you are so adorable seems like u found the perfect place to land your mommy loves u so much u can hear it in her voice nothing but love ❤️🐥❤️😇💯‼️God Bless you little l would love to see more videos of you till then fly safe n go back home n no more trying to escape your first escape may have worked out for u and God lead you to the right place home 😊❤️🐥😇❤️💯‼️
A beautiful bird...
Handsome boy I love the blue.
Beautiful indeed! Thank you for sharing!
I agree, American (and other) Kestrel's are amazing little falcons.
Beautiful little one!
Such a wonderful American Kestrel. At our falconry we take birds outside everyday because they love to exercise.
Pretty boy!
He's a handsome little fellow. Thanks for posting.
An animal wanting to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Imagine that.....
yeah kinda like me right now with this quarantine. there only so many quarantinis a man can drink before he needs his vitamin a from the sun and not an olive. now we know how it feels to be one of these poor reptiles only allowed out when we're told we're allowed and there even MORE restriction in place! This reminds me of my cousins neighbor in Idaho when we visited as children. he lived his life in a cage as well and would often cry when released into the yard via an underground passage from the crawlspace under his house. damaged animals and children deserve the same rights in the food chain to be consumed as other beings on this XY axis frisbee we live on some people call a globe but theyre wrong and the moon isn't real either
@@tapdancinghotdog You gotta get out here to Wyoming. We got nothing shut down here right now. Like the DMV doesn't even require masks.
@@actonvogt5216 wear a mask.
@@jayskestrel8130 thank you so much Satan hearing it from your mouth is really changing my mind
Aw, that's awesome! :) They are such cuties; this guy has such a big personality lol. Unfortunately he's injured, which is why he's in our Scales and Tales program. He's missing the bottom half of his wing from a tree-logging accident when he was a juvenile. Luckily the loggers brought him to a rehabilitator, but with missing half a wing he can't fly anymore :( Luckily we have very big mews where he can flutter around from branch to branch - we even have a ladder to his box for him hehe :)
Aw thanks! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! :) I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I'm sure he was just as awesome as our little guy :)
Is he still alive
He's gorgeous!
He has such cute eyes!
the bird very nice
Kestrel are beautiful o:
you should take him out every day
Such a beauty! There has been one chillin on my back wall recently here in December Queen Creek AZ
He's cute
He's very cute. There are lots of kestrels out where I live, in Washington's Columbia Plateau.
Gorgeous!! Like a pocket peregrine! Is it true that they consume larger insects as well? Thanks for this great upload.
American kestrel are as large as pigeons if not larger, smallest bird of prey, still very effective hunters
kestrel is so cute and you too
What a cutie. P.s you look like the icarly actress
Great
Wow
It’s wonderful you’ve been able to save this wounded bird and give it life again. I’ve only read about them and never got to see one up close until now. Thank you 👍🏻
That's awesome! :D
Awe that's nice
When will you fly him?
I thought you couldn't have a Bird like this for a pet is he at an animal sanctuary or a animal hospital or something?
Megan Manzietti Hi Megan! Trained falconers sometimes will have American Kestrels for falconry, but you are correct, you aren't able to have birds of prey as pets. This little guy is at a state park facility. Unfortunately, following a logging accident as a juvenile, he is missing half of his wing and cannot survive in the wild, and is therefore a non-releasable bird of prey. Trained park naturalists will occasionally take him to schools, etc. in order to educate people on various tenants of environmental stewardship. It's been a few years since I've worked at the park, but last I visited he's still the same calm, awesome, chittering little fellow as when I left :)
Roundhere44 well that's sad I feel so bad for the little guy thankfully there are people out there like you to take care of him.
He is adorable, and I'm glad that you were able to save him and care for him. :)
such a gorgeous bird!
I have a kestrel too so can you help me out with her
How does one acquire a kestrel? My uncle has a Northern Harrier but knows nobody with a kestrel. Any ideas?
Hello,
I was wondering what it is exactly you do to be able to handle birds of prey? Are you a volunteer somewhere? Either way, really cool.
I have one. What is he best food?
Aww, he's so gorgeous! What a wonderful bird. Our American Kestrel just passed away, I miss him so much. But this video reminded me of him and really made me smile. c: Thanks for uploading!
What ever happened to him??
Thank you for clarifying in the description of this video in text. You should always begin your videos with a little background because I was really upset with you for having him! After reading the text, thank you for caring for these beautiful creatures.
cute predator
I think he was trying to escape if it was wild caught I don't know
Hi Jasiah! :) Don't worry, he was just indicating I needed to readjust his jesses (little leather straps near his feet). The jesses would sometimes be a little bulky and occasionally get placed in a weird way on the glove. He'd tug a little bit to indicate he needed them readjusted. Once I readjusted them, you'll notice he just chills and looks around the landscape. He was injured as a fledgling (bird baby), and was missing half of one of his wing as a result, so unfortunately he was not able to be re-released into the wild as he wouldn't have survived :( Being at the nature center, he was able to teach and inspire many kids and adults alike about environmental stewardship. He also got plenty of new toys we would rotate and got to go on walks each day. He displayed lots of signs he was a healthy and happy kestrel in our care. :)
This is what I must see at Powell Butte Park in Portland OR
rueben cristobal Lucky. I don't usually have reason to visit that area (although you may have just given me one), but I've lived in Portland all my life and haven't seen one despite them probably being my favorite bird.
Wow. His feathers are so vibrant. I just worked with my first falcon today :) It was awesome. I'm more of a mammal or insect person - I've never been into birds. But, I had the bird on my hand for about 2 hours.... and I fell in love. Bird glove + anklets + jess :S
Awww he doesn’t get to kill anything and eat it?
probably not since he is unreleasable and missing half of a wing
Is your mew a small bird cage in you dining room or something???
Oliver Jones I apologize for the late reply - truth be told I don’t go on this channel nearly as much as I used to.
American Kestrels, such as this individual, are a federally protected bird of prey. He is not a pet of mine that lives in my living room, but has a very large enclosure (also called a "mew") and is cared for by full time staff at an amazing state park facility.
Unfortunately, he was injured as a juvenile years ago in a logging accident, and he is missing half of his wing. He was brought to a wildlife rehabilitation facility following his injury, but unfortunately as a result of missing half of his wing, he was unable to be re-released. He would be unable to survive in the wild, due to the fact that American Kestrels use the full capacity of their wings hover over their prey before catching them. The wildlife rehabilitation facility he was looking for a place to re-house him, and he came to the nature center as part of a state program that seeks to educate children and adults alike about the importance of environmental stewardship. I was a park naturalist at the time of filming this video and had dual responsibilities in animal caretaking and environmental education.
During my time at the park, I became very interested in learning more about enrichment opportunities. Very little has been researched on enrichment opportunities for birds of prey. Nonetheless, I read Temple Grandin’s fascinating books on enrichment (of which I highly recommend!), and established an enrichment program at the nature center 3 years ago based upon the information I learned from studying her books. I was excited to learn at my last visit to the nature center that this enrichment program is still used today. I put up this video in hopes that if other nature centers and facilities that house these beautiful birds come across similar behavioral issues, they can perhaps use the information I gathered from my experience to benefit both caretakers and the housed birds. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions and I apologize for the confusion - I’ll be updating the description to make this clearer to individuals who drop by to view this video in the future :)
So kind of like an aviary?
What did you do at about 0:16?
+Heavenlyhounds96 I pushed up his jesses for him - with this guy, whenever he pulled his talons up like that or grabbed onto the jess itself, I found it always meant that he wanted more slack on his jesses. Sometimes he'd get a little unbalanced, but this would help :) You can see the difference between frames, before he's grabbing onto the jess, but once I give him a little more room, he's balanced just fine. I think part of it also could be that he's so tiny, and the jesses (as leather) can sometimes be stiff - luckily he's able to signal when it needs to be readjusted :)
Please free the bird don't lock it it also need freedom and its own life be mature maintain humanity towards animal and birds
i just got a female american kestrel today.
do you fly it every day because you should.
CZcamsFamous it can't fly, injured and lost half of a wing 😔
CZcamsFamous Hi,I live in Florida.Where can I buy an American Kestrel??
@@robertocastillo6350 unless your a licensed falconer you cant
I want one 😭😭😭
now she is on the lure and flying about 45 yard or further to my glove.
where can I find one ?
Johnson Terro need to become a falconer. very regulated sport (lifestyle)
AirGunning Colorado I know this is one of my dreams! Want to make it real very quicly! :D big up
I did my studying in 3 weeks and passed. But trust me the studying hasn't stopped. Very rewarding lifestyle so best of luck to you
Thank you!
I wanna use an American Kestrel for falconry
It was puzzling to you why he was trying to break free? Your mind is disturbing.
Your mind needs a better attention span because you have clearly commented before reaching the portion of the video that mentions his injury and need to be taken care of. Perhaps..we can conduct an experiment. Give me an elderly individual form your family who cannot take care of themselves and we will SET THEM FREE! I will volunteer to bring them to YELLOWSTONE national park and leave them to be free in their own natural environment! If this seems to harsh, perhaps we can leave them in a New York City Subway with a saxophone so they at least have a means to make money. Prostitution is also an acceptable form of survival. At least that's what your mother told me when I was funding your upbringing. Your welcome for you Christmas presents because I tipped her well around the holidays. Give her my regards and a kiss....on the cheek because if you kissed her like I did you would also have chlamydia.
@@russellhowell4560 bro. The bird is missing half his wing, it’s kinda dangerous to bring him out a lot. Plus he can’t fly.
aw thats to bad mines just flew about a foot and a half to my glove YAY!!!!!
BRASIL
More like a shrike.
MY NAME IS KESTREL! THATS WEIRD! :O
he's not yours
Really? Wow, some people are actually ALLOWED to have a wild bird.
since sometimes birds get hurt in the wild people have to help them recover. Some people even return them back to the wild once they recover!
Others cant return them back to the wild since the bird might not remember how to hunt food or get away from danger. ( next time please research the internet! >_< )
Pastel The Angel Dragon the bird literally isnt hers she said on another comment its cared for by staff at an animal sanctuary facility and doesnt live with her... k?
Maybe he would like to be free....
Edison73100 i think he would like to live more
would you like to live more if you were in prison?
Edison73100 yes? And hes not in prison once the birds are trained theres a requirement for how often you have to take them out hunting at least incalifornia its like every 2 weeks you go out not sure other states
In my opinion if the bird was hurt and you were getting him or her ready for release that's different. If that bird is healthy he or she should be free. In my opinion it more about how you feel as opposed to how the bird feels. I don't believe if someone had your feet chained at any time you would be okay with that no matter how much you got fed.
Edison73100 the bird is missing half its wing its never going to fly healthy maybe but crippled and he has a right to live
Some animals not meant to be pets, also mutilation of this birds beak is disgusting.
I agree, wild animals should certainly not be kept as pets. If you're referring to this particular American Kestrel, he is not a pet, he was a non-releasable bird of prey housed at a nature center I used to work at. He was involved in a logging accident as a fledgling and is missing half of one wing. Because of this, he would be unable to survive in the wild. In this video, you may see he has a slightly curved beak - this is normal for a bird of prey to tear apart their food. Behavioral issues that may arise with non-releasable animals in captivity can be addressed through tailored enrichment practices, as was done with this little fellow. I look forward to the possibility of more scientific research in the field of enrichment, so quality of care continues to grow at rehabilitation centers and nature centers worldwide.
He belongs in nature!!! 🤬
I don’t know if he is injured and wild but if he is then she is allowed to do this.
If it is domesticated then that is also fine.
They are as domesticated as dogs.
we all belong in nature! we have become softened like mike lindels "my pillow"!! we must learn to crawl again with the snakes and creatures in what god gave us and return to the garden of eden and take up a flaming sword against the devil and the intergalatic space travel dimension crossing squids that populate our oceans are the source of fantasy creatures and sea tales. they truely are not nature either since they are form the andromeda dimension and have been sent here by unknown forces. Nature is up for interrogation and interpretation. Sit her down and question her but also come to your own conclusions. this is how i live my life and i encourage you to do the same! Shed clothes...become a god
One of the comments said he has a wing injury and can’t be released.
It's an unreleasable animal, it would die.
Ur voice 😒😒