Table Of ContentK C
estrels for ompany
GORDON RIDDLE
Whittles Publishing
To my parents, who started me off with The Observer’s Book of Birds and then
the Peterson Field Guide and my family without whose support this book
would not have been written. For my grand-daughters Kate and Emma
who I know will grow up enjoying the wildlife around them.
Published by
Whittles Publishing Ltd.,
Dunbeath,
Caithness, KW6 6EG,
Scotland, UK
www.whittlespublishing.com
© 2011 Gordon Riddle
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise
without prior permission of the publishers.
ISBN 978-184995-029-9
Printed by
Contents
Foreword ........................................................................... v
Preface ............................................................................ vii
Acknowledgements ......................................................... ix
1
An all-consuming passion ................................ 1
2
Villains and Ploys ........................................... 37
3
Peaks and gecko blasters ................................ 59
4
The Cape Verde Islands’ kestrels ................... 86
5
The newsworthy kestrel ............................... 104
6
Kindred spirits ............................................. 122
7
Reflections ................................................... 141
8
Readjustment ............................................... 168
References .................................................................... 195
Foreword
s a schoolboy in Ayrshire in the early 1970s, like most of my peers, I had a great love
A
of the outdoors and a relatively sound knowledge of the different birds that were to be
found in that part of the world. Things were very different then, of course, with no computers,
play stations, mobile phones or myriad other options open to many youngsters nowadays in
spending their free time. Long days and evenings raking about in the countryside were the
norm for us back then, yet most adults seemed to gravitate indoors whenever they could.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned of a grown man from Culzean who spent his
spare time working on kestrels, and who indeed was a respected expert on the species! Not
only that, but teachers put word around my school that any sightings of breeding kestrels were
to be reported in order that Mr Riddle could in turn be informed. Somehow, here was a man
who had retained that youthful fascination for birds and who so loved the kestrel that he spent
much of his time studying them. Almost 40 years later, Gordon’s admiration and enthusiasm
for this wonderful bird are undiminished, and he has developed an encyclopaedic knowledge
of their biology and behaviour that can only come from decades of detailed field observation
and recording. A founding member of the south-west Scotland raptor study movement, he has
been chairman of the south Strathclyde group for 27 years and in 2010 received the Donald &
Jeff Watson Raptor Award from the Scottish Raptor Study Groups.
Gordon modestly insists it’s easy to love the kestrel, perhaps the most instantly recognis-
able and widespread bird of prey in the UK, with its warm plumage and distinctive, at times
almost miraculous, hovering action. Active from the first rays of dawn to the dying embers of
dusk, this nomadic and somewhat enigmatic raptor makes a remarkable case study. In Seasons
with the Kestrel we read about the detailed study of breeding kestrels in south Ayrshire and
neighbouring areas of Dumfries & Galloway. In Kestrels for Company, Gordon now takes his
work to a new level. In addition to the intimate study and description of the kestrel’s lifestyle
and breeding success, we are given intriguing and entertaining anecdotes, including colourful
accounts of visits overseas to see Seychelles and Mauritius kestrels.
Moreover, this book contains an informative account of the kestrel’s place in the British
countryside and how its numbers have fluctuated over the years. This story, remarkable enough
v
in itself, is given context by an examination of the changes in status, acceptance and promotion
of other raptors, including conservation measures, reintroductions and important comment on
the human pressures that still blight the fortunes of these wonderful birds (or this wonderful
group?). Th is book is therefore a signifi cant addition to raptor study, lovingly written by a
dedicated and expert fi eldworker, who has been heavily involved with their conservation for
almost 40 years.
Chris Rollie, RSPB Scotland Area Manager for Dumfries & Galloway
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Preface
y book Seasons with the Kestrel was published nearly 20 years ago and much has happened
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since then. The raptor map of Britain has changed dramatically, with the recovery of
many species from the lows of the pesticide period. There have been changes in land use, such
as a reduction in first- rotation commercial forestry planting and agricultural intensification,
while pressure from a much more environmentally-aware general public, the diversification of
the rural economy by eco-tourism and the work of conservation organisations like the RSPB
have generated the political will to improve the protective legislation for our birds of prey.
Their populations, though, are still not at the level which our countryside could support.
Things have undoubtedly improved but we have still not rid ourselves of an anti-raptor culture
which has no place in the modern age, and the resultant persecution which does so much harm
both to our native raptors and to our conservation reputation. The poisoning of raptors is still
a blight on our countryside.
The kestrel has not been immune to change and in many areas of Britain it has, in fact,
declined. Using as a basis the fieldwork results from my long-term Ayrshire study, which now
spans 39 consecutive seasons, and pulling in as much data as possible from other sources, I
have tried to put the kestrel’s status in perspective. A Scottish slant is inevitable and I do not
apologise for it. I hope that this book will maintain the kestrel’s profile, encouraging more
people to engage with this superb little falcon and to contribute towards its conservation.
Much more work is needed to evaluate the current decline and to take the necessary steps to
ensure that it remains a key part of our fauna.
vii
Acknowledgements
any individuals, groups and organisations have been invaluable in supporting both my
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kestrel work and the writing of this book and I would like to thank them most sincerely.
My son, Keith Riddle, Mike Blair, Karen Gardiner, Fred Westcote and Deirdre Mackinnon
provided invaluable IT and photographic assistance; members of the South Strathclyde and
Dumfries and Galloway Raptor Study Groups supplied vital data, in particular Ricky Gladwell,
Charlie Park, Geoff Shaw, Geoff Sheppard, Gibby McWhirter, Ian Todd, Angus Hogg, Ged
Connolly, Bob Stakim, David Gray and Jim Thomson.
Access and co-operation were forthcoming from the British Trust for Ornithology, the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Scottish Natural Heritage, the National Trust
for Scotland, Scottish Water, Forestry Commission, Natural Research, Scottish Power and
the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club. Thanks are also due to the people in the study areas who
welcomed me on their ground – Nick and Kirstin Parry, James Murdoch, the McWhirter
family, the Campbells, Culzean and Cassillis Estates and David Macmillan.
The list of individuals is long and I apologise to anyone whom I have inadvertently missed:
Duncan Cameron, Brian Etheridge, Eric Meek, Brian Little, George Morrison, Kevin Duffy,
Carl Jones, David Bird, the late John Collie, the late Dick Roxburgh, the late Donald Watson,
the late David Shearlaw, Tom Cameron, Paul Hayworth, Dave Dick, Vivien and the late
Douglas Bremner, Bob Swann, Jen Smart, Ruth Tingay, Bob McMillan, Dave Anderson, Mick
Marquiss, David Jardine, Malcolm Henderson, Bill Wiseman, Keith Miller, Andy Thorpe,
Arjun Amar, Steve Petty, Norman Elkins, John Lusby, Victor Colhoun for his joinery expertise
in building nest boxes and Kees Hazevoet, Pedrin and Juliao for their assistance on the Cape
Verde Islands.
Special mention must be given to Chris Rollie and Deirdre Mackinnon for proof-reading
chapters, to Deirdre for her fieldwork backup, to my daughter, Gael Riddle, who assisted with
fieldwork and readily climbed trees, and finally to my wife Rosemary, whose support and work
on the book has been phenomenal.
Harry Tempest for the barn owl and kestrel in the same nest, Richard Clarkson for the
albino hen harrier chick, Chris Rollie for the three grand old men of Galloway, Kevin Simmons
ix
