We regular birders at the Mercer Meadows Pole Farm have been delighting in our daily observations of the pair of American kestrels who have nested in the the barn beside the main parking lot at Cold Soil and Keefe roads.
Virtually every morning for the past several weeks, we’ve seen at least one and sometimes two kestrels zipping in and out of the barn and perching on nearby trees. We were reasonably certain that babies had hatched inside.
Now we have proof, and it seems likely that however many nestlings are inside, they will soon fledge.
This morning, one of the little ones was perched in the hole while its parents periodically went in and out to fetch food.
I’ll be smarter on my next visit and switch to a faster shutter speed to catch the action. The photo at top shows one of the parents flying off while the little one stays inside.
These next several days should be even more exciting.
The Jersey Birder 