Dottikon Es : Documentation Common Kestrels

Common kestrels, March to July 2020

The common kestrel - a part of DOTTIKON's past and present

Are you familiar with the common kestrel? Falco tinnunculus? Or are you unfamiliar with the local bird life? Do not worry, we are here to help: The common kestrel is a skilled mouse hunter that is widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, and has become a regular, by now even frequent breeding bird and passage migrant but still a rather rare guest in Switzer- land's winters.

Common kestrels are monogamous and very loyal to their nesting sites, which they defend against intruders from other territories. They do not build their own nests, but rather use niches or tree hollows, rocks, or buildings. Nests of other bird species (especially crows) or nesting boxes are also readily used. The common kestrel's brood typically consists of 4-6 eggs. While the male hunts mice, young birds, lizards, and large insects, the ­female feeds the chicks. The young kestrels are being cared for over the course of four weeks, until they are independent and fledged. The ­recorded maximum age of a common kestrel is currently 23 years.

In the 1960s, the common kestrel became increasingly rare in Switzerland due to the rapid spread of cultivated landscapes and the corresponding loss of suitable breeding sites. Through the initiative and under the monitoring of the Swiss Ornithological Institute of Sempach, private individuals installed and maintained nearly 3'000 nesting boxes after the turn of the millennium. Nearly 20 years later, at around Christmas of 2019, it was announced that the common kestrel population had doubled to almost 8'000 breeding pairs - a veritable success story.

When I took over the position as plant supervisor in a high-pressure production plant at DOTTIKON in November 1995, I noticed a nesting box on the company premises about 10 meters off the ground on a storage tank - tied to the railing with merely a rusty piece of wire. A former employee and bird lover had mounted it as an extra-large nesting box for small passerine birds. It was in this period that I first heard the characteristic tee! tee! tee! and kee! kee! kee! sounds of the common kestrel. Over the following years, young kestrels regularly hatched and fledged on the DOTTIKON premises, and the periodic monitoring of the wire fixation evolved into my taking

responsibility­for the nesting box altogether.

In 2011, the storage tank was removed in favor of a training ground for our internal fire brigade, and I had to find a new, equally suitable location for a larger nesting box that had been built in the meantime. When a distillation column was put out of operation, we found a perfect spot on the highest metal railing of this 30-meter-tall open steel construction. The common

kestrels­ readily accepted the new location. Every now and then, I climbed the column to make sure everything was in order. With the idea of installing a live camera in mind - and with the support of our Deputy Head of IT, a fellow bird lover - I took the not entirely unselfish initiative to submit a request to the CEO to cover the costs for such an installation. The request also ­included a means to make the live stream accessible to all employees. To my surprise, the CEO approved the request without hesitation. We once again built a new nesting box and installed the live camera. The images peaked our employees' interest and potentially contributed to strengthening their understanding of nature. With the new set-up of the live stream ­fully operational, we once again look forward to stunning images and hopefully a successful brood of the DOTTIKON common kestrels.

Fredy Rüttimann

Head of Training (Production) and bird lover

06.03.2020

07.03.2020

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