All 6 Kestrel Chicks Fledge & Learn Life in the Wild 🦅| Apollo & Athena | Discover Wildlife

After such a shaky start, it was incredible to watch all six of kestrel's Apollo & Athena's chicks fledge. Watch their final days in the nest and see how they prepare for life in the wild.

Date filmed: 2024

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Watch kestrels Apollo & Athena on my live nest cam: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and follow their story in this playlist:   • Kestrels 🦅 Apollo & Athena | Wild Lives | ...  

ABOUT THIS FILM
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Six kestrel chicks
Raising kestrel chicks in the wild is challenging. Already kestrel pair Apollo & Athena have had to contend with threats from jackdaws and squirrels, a mysterious illness, and one frail chick.

Growing fast
Now their fourth brood is growing fast and the male kestrel Apollo is hunting round the clock to find enough food for them. Occasionally Athena, who mostly stays close by to guard the nest, helps out - catching prey that wanders close to the nest. Sometimes Athena can seem abrupt as she snatches Apollo's offerings from him, but her sense of urgency is designed to encourage him to go straight back and catch more prey.

Feathers develop
The chicks downy feathers soon begins to moult and is replaced wit their true, flight feathers and by three weeks they are almost ready for life outside the nest. But first they need their ID rings.

Health check
Licensed ringer Jean Thorpe arrives to tag each kestrel chick and we also give them a health check and weigh them. The youngest, the chick I had to help, is now 160gs, still much smaller than its siblings.

Filming the fledge
Shortly before they fledge I set up a scaffold tower so that I can film their first lift off. Watching them fly feels amazing. To think they were so fragile as hatchlings. As one chick prepares to fly it comes face to face with a jackdaw. It stands its ground - a good sign because this won't be its last encounter with a corvide.

First flights
The first five fledge in one day, leaving the youngest, the chick I had helped as a hatchling, in the nest for a few more days. Then at last all six are out of the nest and exploring their surroundings. Its amazing to watch them sharpen their skills over the next few weeks.

It's been a total privilege to film and document this story, from laying, to hatching to raising all six chicks to fledging.

ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.

You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: https://www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!

You can also follow me on these platforms:
Website: https://www.robertefuller.com
Facebook:   / robertefullerart  
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CHAPTERS
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00:00 Meet Apollo & Athena
01:04 Athena delivers prey
02:00 Youngest chick feeding well
02:8 Not bossy, just urgent
04:02 Adult feathers grow in
04:55 ID rings fitted
07:32 Preparing to film
09:36 Fledging begins
10:34 Final chick fledges
10:42 Fledglings first flights
13:01 Recap
11:15 Sexing kestrels

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© Robert E Fuller

Copyright Disclaimer: Please feel free to share my videos but do not download any content without permission with the intent to re-upload. If you would like to license any content, please get in touch: mail@robertefuller.com

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