This is a 20 day old male Kestrel that hatched here on the farm as part of the Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project run by Tom Sayers. You may have noticed the kestrel box high up on the Christmas Tree Hill.
We have had the pleasure of kestrel hatches for the past 8 years here. Tom works on rebuilding the kestrel population, which has been in decline. Kestrels are the smallest members of the falcon family, they are small but mighty.
There were three birds that hatched this year and on Saturday Tom sexed, weighed and banded them. Sadly only 10% of young kestrel survive to adulthood, but his important work is helping to boost their population.
In the past his banded birds have been identified in Maine, Virginia and New Jersey. Many area farms in north central Connecticut have kestrel boxes and are part of Tom’s research.