My wife and I attended the opening night Avalanche baseball game in Salem, VA
last night. During the second inning, to our surprise, an American Kestrel,
carrying a bird, flew in and landed on the cable holding the speaker above the
stands on the third base side. It sat there for several minutes, being very
vocal. We explained what kind of bird it was to the family sitting in front of
us.
I guess the bird was surprised to find 6,000+ people sitting in the area. When
a second kestrel flew out of the speaker, we decided that they must be nesting
in the speaker. The noise of the crowd caused him to drop his bird on the head
of an unsuspecting fan waiting in the food line. He then left the area. The
bird, that is, not the fan.
I went down and explained what was going on with the unexpected bird from
above, but the lady wasn't as impressed as we were with the hunting abilities
of the falcon. Later, one of the birds flew over carrying food, but kept going.
I wonder, is it too early for them to have babies to feed?
I next went to customer service and explained the situation to the young lady
behind the counter. I suggested she contact the local Audubon chapter, raptor
rehab center or the Roanoke Science Museum for help. I also suggested they
place nest boxes nearby to encourage the birds to stay in the area but in a
place that might be better for them.
Perhaps some of the local birders can help the birds. I don't know, maybe
kestrels don't mind being around people that much.
Jim Phillips
Pipestem, WV
cne01663@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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