Common Kestrel chicks in our nest box - feeding

Within our project, creation of new and safe nesting opportunities is one of the goals. 370 nest boxes have been installed together in all project countries, and in Croatia, 3 nest boxes with cooperation of the Nature Park Kopački rit and energy distribution company HEP were installed on the pylons. Since the installation, Commom Kestrels are interested in nesting :).
At the beginning of May, we got new chicks of the Common kestrel in an artificial nest box on a power line pole. In the period from March 27 to April 6, the female kestrel laid a total of 6 eggs, and birds hatched from all of them. When young kestrels hatch, they have white feathers and are completely dependent on the care of their parents. For the first few days of life, the female stays in the nest with them and warms them with her body while the male brings food. When the chicks grow a little and the need for feeding becomes greater, the female begins to hunt and bring food, and chopping up pieces of food and feeding is always her task, as you can see in this video.
In the next month of their stay in the nest, the chicks will develop real flight feathers and fly away. They will stay near the nest for a few more months and learn to hunt prey from their parents, after which they will disperse. In another nest where kestrels nest, the female laid as many as 7 eggs during March, but the first brood failed and currently the female is again laying on 7 eggs.
More information about the project: www.danubefreesky.eu
LIFE Danube Free Sky (LIFE19 NAT/SK/001023 - Transnational conservation of birds along the Danube river) has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union and Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic.