How to trap an American kestrel

    To start off, I would like to say that despite the many times people have said that an American Kestrel is not a suitable bird for falconry, I being a general class falconer have found them to be amazing. I haven't of course hunted jackrabbits or deer (some say their eagles have), but I have had oodles of fun taking sparrows and starlings from the car at the local Burger King or gas station.

    The first thing you should know about the American Kestrels is the size difference between the sexes.The female is the larger and duller of the two and more able to take on a fat starling without damage. Above is a picture of a female and below is a picture of a male.

  Notice the huge difference in color. If you have ever seen them both up close you would see that the male is only about 3/4's of the females size.
     The method of capture that I have used and that I feel is the most humane and safest, on these little birds is the Bal Chatri.

    This trap consists of 1/2 hardware cloth, which can be purchased at any home depot or hardware store, and a small gauge fishing line. The fishing line is tied into many separate nooses (which can kill your hands, I suggest taking plenty of breaks) across the top and sides. A door is placed on the bottom to allow for access to the prey item.

      So you have a trap, a falconry license and trapping permit, and a whole day or two to devote to trapping. Next you need a location. This could be out in the country over some fields, or simply off the side of your street (take care not to trap too close to the road, I have heard of many horror stories, in which trapped birds and traffic do not mix well.) kestrels are a very prolific species, and do quite well even in cities. So keep an eye to the skies.

    When I have gone trapping, I leave early just as the sun starts to peak over the mountains, because at this time the kestrels will be hungry and more likely to come to your trap. I bring a dark (as close to looking like a wild mouse as the pet shops can provid) and a light colored mouse (I have even had some more aggressive kestrels come down to an albino mouse though other times this has scared them off) with the trap and drive until I spot a kestrel on a power line or pole. Then with one of the mice loaded into the trap I try to drive just opposite of the kestrel placing the trap in a position where the bird can see the mouse walking back and fourth along the traps length, but dropping the trap while still slowly driving because if you stop the chances are that the kestrel will get suspicious and fly away. Then I drive a little further (about the distance of two telephone poles), park and wait in a spot where I can see the trap clearly through binoculars.
     Sometimes it can take a while for the wary bird to fly to your trap and other times she will be on it before you even drive ten feet, but don't make the mistake of running back to the trap that instant, be patient and watch the bird try for the bait. You will know the bird is trapped when it tries to fly away and is stopped abruptly and thumps the ground. This is the time to run to the trap because in some cases the bird will get loose with enough squirming.

    Now that you have a bird trapped you must take care not to hurt any of the tangled toes even if it means cutting some of the nooses.

     For the drive home I like to place the stressed bird into a snug fitting sock with a hole cut into the toe for its head to poke out of. Place the bird in a sock on a towel on a seat to stop it from rolling around, taking care that it has space around its head to breath.
    And there you have it! Trapping and training a wild kestrel is very rewarding and I hope this post will help plenty apprentice or even master falconers out there.