A Welcome Falcon

[Oregon Blues]

I'm plagued by 2 enormous flocks of sparrows. They destroy hundreds of pounds of fruit and gobble down an awful lot of poultry food.

Today, when I walked out to feed the birds, there was a Kestrel sitting on top of the brush pile that is a favorite of one of the sparrow flocks. She flew off when I approached, but I sure hope she has decided that this is a good place to hang out, with lots of really good hunting.

Maybe if she takes enough of the sparrows out of my poultry pens, the sparrows will figure out it is time to move on.

 

[Moonkit]

I suppose.. as long as she doesn't start eyeing your chickens as a secondary food source. Have you considered trying to build a treadle feeder to cut down on the sparrows mooching?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Most chickens are probably too large for a kestrel. Chicks would certainly be at risk, and maybe OEGB or serama-sized chickens, but anything larger than that is probably safe.

 

[KandiandJerry]

Kestrels are beautiful...I don't think they would try for a full grown standard chicken...

 

[Oregon Blues]

There is no way that a Kestrel, at something near 6 ounces in weight and standing all of 7-8 inches tall, is going to attempt a 9 pound duck or a 30 pound gander. Those sparrows are at the top of their size limit for prey.

I suspect that a kestrel could come screaming down out of the sky at 30 mph, hit a goose, and simply bounce off. Not even giving the goose a headache. So I am not worried about my poultry.

 

[Frannabelle]

Cool!!!!

 

[centrarchid]

I have seen a 5-week old game chick attack, apparently with intent to kill, a fledgling female American kestrel. If I did not intervene that may well have been outcome. The kestrel was a great deal smaller than chick and if chick where adult, the kestrel would have been killed in one flogging. The kestrol just does not have tools needed to take on a chicken. Biggest prey I have seen kestrel take was an American robin and kestrel must have been desparate since it took quite a while for kestrel to prevail after contact was made.

 

[halo]

Get a sparrow trap. They work like crazy.

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/

 

[Oregon Blues]

I've seen my ducks eating a sparrow, but they aren't much good at actually catching them.