Field notes from a kestrel watcher
Observations, gear diaries, and season logs from the Netherlands — chasing Falco tinnunculus through polder fields, city rooftops, and the edges of the Veluwe.
Recent posts
- Urban kestrels in Rotterdam: three years of rooftop watching The breeding pair on the old grain elevator has been there every spring since 2023. This year they raised five chicks — the most I've counted from that nest box.
- Sigma 150-600mm DG DN Sport: nine months with the polder lens I bought this lens specifically for hovering kestrels over open fields. Autofocus on a bird hanging still in a headwind is a particular kind of test — here's what I found.
- Flevoland in January: short days and a lot of voles Kestrels need voles, and Flevoland's agricultural polder is reliably good in winter when the fields are bare. Some notes from a cold three-day trip.
- Nest box season 2025: what worked and what didn't Four nest boxes monitored this season. Two successful broods, one abandoned, one occupied by stock doves. Notes on box placement and what I'd change.