Given the success of the Kestrel Box on the Sewage Works, used since 2018 by the pair, it is no surprise, that over 6 breeding seasons it has become ‘guanoed’ up after producing so many young.
It has been a great success, if you recall from past posts, there previous nesting, position in a pipe, put them in danger of being roasted alive as it was an emergency blow out. Thames Water and myself installed the box as mitigation, the pipe had chicken wire placed over it to stop access and they have not looked back since.
On Wednesday 4th , Laing Orourke the site contractor for the new works, working with Thames Water, kindly provided a telescopic Lorry Picker to access and clean the nest box, changing the substrate along the way and removing the guano from the box and adjacent areas.
Over 6 breeding seasons you will likely get a build-up of parasites, especially so now with our mild winters, not very healthy for chicks especially and incubating adults come spring as you can imagine.
The chaps and the rig
Cleaning
A lot of guano
Guano and old substrate
New substrate in and box ledge scrubbed
Before in the morning - 8.17a.m
After 11.33a.m
All went very well, the male Kestrel was in attendance before the clean up and then remarkably, just as the Lorry Picker was leaving, he flew straight back into the nest box, the tie to the box is obviously very strong.
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