Bridlington Animal Park owner Paul Woodward chicks in to help struggling brood of kestrels

The owner of a local award-winning visitor attraction at Carnaby has played a part in local conservation by supplying food to support a brood of kestrel chicks.
The kestrel chicks were ringed by Robert Salter this week.The kestrel chicks were ringed by Robert Salter this week.
The kestrel chicks were ringed by Robert Salter this week.

Paul Woodward, who runs Bridlington Animal Park, provided frozen day-old chicks to help the younger kestrel chicks survive during the poor weather.

The chicks are based at Nafferton, with David Searby keeping a watchful eye on the nest box via a remote camera. He noticed that one of the chicks in particular was struggling and decided to supplement the food by leaving offerings for the adults to pick up.

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Mr Searby said: “What I do to feed the kestrels is leave chicks on a bench and within minutes the female picks them up and takes them to the nest box.

The kestrel chicks have started to emerge from the nest box following the extra help.The kestrel chicks have started to emerge from the nest box following the extra help.
The kestrel chicks have started to emerge from the nest box following the extra help.

“We managed to keep them going thanks to frozen chicks supplied by Paul at the Bridlington Animal Park.”

Mr Searby’s nest box has provided a home for barn owls and kestrels in the past.

He added: “The barn nest box, which since 2014 has been occupied by Barn Owls except for years 2015 and 2018, was this year occupied by the kestrels.

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“Last year’s barn owl female got caught in barbed wire and had to be put down.

“Having a camera in the nest box keeps me in touch with their progress and in last year’s case made me realise that the young owls were starving.

“It made me aware of the late hatched kestrel which enabled me to supplement their feed.

“Despite being four days’ younger than the others the last hatched chick had a good body weight and is doing well.

“The odd bird has started to become more adventurous, emerging from the inside of the nest box and won’t be long before fledging.

“I would like to thank Robert Salter for ringing the young birds.”