The Cornell Peregrine cam has gone live again for the first time this season. The nest has 2 eggs that were laid April 25th and April 27th.

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/17/American_Kestrels/

North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a predator’s fierce intensity into its small body. It's one of the most colorful of all raptors: the male’s slate-blue head and wings contrast elegantly with his rusty-red back and tail; the female has the same warm reddish on her wings, back, and tail. Hunting for insects and other small prey in open territory, kestrels perch on wires or poles, or hover facing into the wind, flapping and adjusting their long tails to stay in place.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_kestrel/id

American Kestrel hovering.

This link works, too. http://kestrel.peregrinefund.org/webcams

Info from the Peregrine fund site.

Thursday 25 April

Welcome to the 2013 KestrelCams! We are excited to again reveal the fascinating world of nesting American Kestrels – with upgraded KestrelCams! The kestrels laid their first egg yesterday so stay tuned as the female lays three to four more over the next four to five days.

Bosch Security Systems USA is sponsoring the American Kestrel Partnership and generously donated a Bosch AutoDome 800 Series Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera. We can now reveal kestrel activities outside the box, such as adults exchanging prey and defending their nest from trespassers, and fledglings learning to fly, hunt, and survive in their dangerous new world. We are also grateful to our partners at Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Bird Cams project for continuing to provide the KestrelCams with ad-free streaming

If you enjoy watching the KestrelCam, please support our work by making a donation or becoming a member. And don't forget to contribute as a citizen scientist by logging your observations of kestrel behavior and joining the Partnership to monitor your own kestrel box. These data are used for important research by the American Kestrel Partnership – and you can be part of it!

There are now 4 eggs in the nest. The 3rd egg was laid April 29th and there is not a date on the site of when the 4th was laid.

This nest had 5 eggs and all 5 hatched.
1st hatch - May 27
2nd hatch - May 28
3rd and 4th hatch - May 29
5th hatch - May 31

While I was watching somebody did some panning around the area where the box is located. This cam should be give some good views when the babies start venturing outside the box.

Wow! I checked this site this morning and was struck speechless at the sunrise. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Posted today by American Kestrel partnership:

"Sadly, the smallest of the kestrel chicks has died, most likely due to starvation. The chick had hatched about three days after its siblings, so it began with a disadvantage. Although adult kestrels are generally careful to feed each chick in turn, young birds of prey are still competing with their siblings for food. Hunger triggers aggression and competition among nest mates. It is generally the younger chicks that bear the brunt of that aggression, which allows older chicks to maximize their chances for survival.

To us humans, this is a hard event to watch, yet we must remember that the death of a nestling is not unusual in the wild. Chicks die for a variety of reasons, including food scarcity, inexperienced parents, or a physical problem that impairs growth. Because the other four chicks appear alert and healthy, we have no plans to disturb them by removing the dead nestling. The parents can remove it on their own if it becomes a problem.

Thank you all for your continued observations and data collection, and stay tuned to watch as the remaining nestlings continue to develop. It won’t be long before they are up and walking around inside the box, eager to stretch their wings!"

I really like the new link this year where both cams show side by side. http://kestrel.peregrinefund.org/webcams

awwww man..........