Conservation & Ecology


I suggest that, when checking any box that tawny owls might use, wear a face shield to give some protection


Male Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)


of conservation concern. It has been declining across its range, particularly in the north and west, but it is unclear at this stage the reasons why. One possibility is the competition for nest sites. The kestrel is another cavity nester and


will utilise holes in trees, old crows nests, buildings and cliff faces around the coast, but it also readliy take to nest boxes. Kestrels appear all year round, but you are not necessarily seeing the same ones each time. During the winter months, some kestrels come over from Scandinavia where it gets a bit cold, whilst some UK kestrels have been known to fly as far as Spain. It has quite a varied diet, eating worms,


invertebrates, small mammals and small birds, so the young will always be catered for. Kestrels are single brooded, laying three to


four eggs on average, but possibly up to seven, although this is not common. Egg laying is usually during April and May. The


chicks fledge after around four weeks, but are dependent on the adults for a short period after.


Case study at John O’Gaunt Golf Club


The nestbox project here at John O’Gaunt all started off with a box for a barn owl in 1996 but, as we had kestrels about, we thought it a good idea to put up a box for them early in 1998, just to see what happened. During the first year, the box was not used, although kestrels did nest in the barn owl box! In the second year, the box was used by stock doves but, in the third year, the kestrels did nest, and for most years thereafter up to 2015. There were a few years that they didn’t use it, including one where jackdaws took over the box and, in 2016, when it was used again by stock doves. Over the years, we added two more


kestrel boxes, one at the opposite end of the course (which has not yet been used) and one on the Carthagena course, which was used for the first time in 2016. During that February, I


checked the box and found it to contain grey squirrels! The box was subsequently ‘cleaned out’ and the kestrels must have moved in straight away. They bred successfully and fledged two chicks, which was a great success. When it comes to


Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) - the windhover


tawny owls, the best box I can recommend is an upright design box that must have a side inspection hatch if you are going to check it. When you open the hatch, the adult (if on the nest) can fly out the top and not into your


face. We have two of boxes of this type, but they have only been used by Jackdaws so far. We have several large boxes designed for


stock doves that the tawnies have utilised, but these do not have an inspection hatch and great care must be taken when checking these, just in case! On one occasion, I went to check a box as


it was half hanging off a tree. I was not expecting to find anything inside but, to my surprise, I found one tawny owl chick about two or three weeks old and, very luckily, not the adult. I suggest that, when checking any box that


tawny owls might use, wear a face shield to give some protection. We do not currently have little owls


breeding on either course, but there have been two sightings in recent years, so fingers crossed they will return. When the time comes for checking the


boxes, I suggest getting in a local expert who will have the appropriate licence to be able to ring the chicks and also offer any other advice.


Not all areas of a golf course need to be


cut, we can leave areas of rough/long grass in out of play areas thus providing suitable habitat for insects and small mammals and a food source for some of our protected birds. Golf courses are great places for all sorts of wildlife from small insects to large birds of prey and, if looked after and managed well, the greenkeepers of the UK can provide a bright future for all our creatures. Contact the


BTO or RSPB for more info on any of the three species I have talked about. www.bto.org www.rspb.org.uk


”


Steve Thompson PC APRIL/MAY 2017 I 103


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