Nebraskaland Magazine
The American Kestrels apparently had so much fun raising one brood that they have decided to do it all over again this summer. The female kestrel has laid two eggs as of the morning of 24 June, as shown in the photo, below.
American Kestrels do not typically lay a second clutch of eggs or raise a second brood. According to the Birds of North America (BNA) species account, 11% of American Kestrels in Florida raised a second brood. The BNA account also noted that a “second brood less likely with increasing latitude”. Based on this information, one might conclude a second breeding attempt to be quite rare in Nebraska. However, this is the second time we have observed American Kestrels laying a second clutch of eggs in this nestbox (I believe 2011 was the other year). We do not mark or band the adult American Kestrels so we do not know if this is the same pair from previous years. It has been a nice spring and early summer thus far with above average precipitation. Perhaps there is an abundance of resources that is inspiring this American Kestrel encore.
To go to the American Kestrel LIVE! streaming video, click HERE. Remember, some versions of Internet Explorer do not work well with this video platform, so try Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox if you are having trouble. Also, we have limited bandwidth so during certain high traffic periods you may not be able to log on (sorry!).
