Explore the day-by-day activities and developments in the lives of American Kestrels (North America’s smallest falcon), nesting in a backyard nest box in Benicia, California; Click on a day’s post to view photos and videos:
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May 8, 2026: Pandemonium & Independence
There were a number of interesting events today, plus a couple of milestones for the Kestrel…
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May 7, 2026: Feeding Time Tug of War
The Mother Kestrel continues to rip up the prey to feed the chicks, but they are…
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May 6, 2026: Briefly Worried, Unnescessarily
Today I got worried that one chick was not doing well, but my fear was very…
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May 5, 2026: Gettin’ Aggressive!
In addition to starting to show some growth of pin flight feathers on their wings, other…
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May 4, 2026: Getting Loud!
The Kestrel chicks have gotten much louder, such that I can now hear them from inside…
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May 3, 2026: Pin Feathers
The Kestrel chicks are now one week old, and what a difference a week makes!: Pin…
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May 1 & 2, 2026: All Is Well, Except Technology
All five chicks have been continuing to thrive, but unfortunately technology struggled on Friday and Saturday.…
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April 30, 2026: Peekaboo
Today the chicks are noticeably larger — so large in fact that they are no longer…
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April 29, 2026: Stayin’ Alive!
Today was again all about food and sleeping. In the afternoon the Mother Kestrel appeared to…
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April 28, 2026: Sleep, Eat, Grow, Repeat
The Mother Kestrel and chicks slept in this morning — she had her head tucked back…
Benicia Kestrels 