Windcuffer

The kestrel is a very important bird to me. I wrote an article on it and sent
it to a local magazine from which I got the reply that they had enough bird material, but they may be interested in the hedgehog article, so I sent it in, I have now been writing for ages. See the dedication below:

I've also included that article, and you'll find out what windcuffer means,,,

“Windhover” – A Natural Treasure

By Anthony Joisce

 

            The “windhover” (European Kestrel) is the most frequently seen bird of prey in Britain. Whether on a Sunday afternoon stroll or perhaps more likely, from the comfort of your car on the A1, the kestrel is impossible to miss. Hovering, head into the wind, with rapid wing-beats and a twitch of tail feathers, the bird maintains its position with consummate grace and expertise. The sight of a kestrel can add a moment’s wonder to an otherwise uneventful journey. 

If you are lucky enough to get a close look you will find a surprisingly colourful bird with a beautiful tawny orange back, spotted with black. The male differs from the female in that he is smaller and has a grey-blue head and tail. The female is usually a more dull chestnut orange, though sometimes she may also have a blue-grey cast to the head that makes her difficult to differentiate from the male. Juvenile birds are coloured the same as the female, regardless of sex, until the end of the first year when a male will develop the blue tail. It will be another year before he gains the blue-grey head. Standing 33cm to 36cm tall and having a wingspan of between 70cm and 80cm makes them small when compared to other raptors. The wings are noticeably pointed at the tips allowing fast, manoeuvrable flight and rapid stoops, a characteristic which tells us that it is a member of the falcon family, hence the scientific name: Falco Tinnunculus. This method of naming species using two words, derived from Latin or Greek, was developed by Carl Linnaeus, to allow identification across international language barriers.

            Falco is most likely derived from Latin falcatus, meaning “sickle-shaped”. This refers to the shape of the wings; curving to a point at the tip. The word tinnunculus was first used by Pliny the Elder (a first century Roman scholar) to describe a small bird of prey; probably the kestrel.

Pliny probably used tinnunculus as a description connected with the verb tinnio: to have a sharp or shrill voice, to cry, scream or sing. Also the adjective tinnulus: ringing, tinkling, shrill sounding. These clearly refer to the common call of the kestrel which is a harsh staccato “kee-kee-kee”. You are most likely to hear them chattering over the Northumbrian countryside during the mating season: April to May

The name kestrel is a variation of castrell, recorded in the seventeenth century. This was borrowed from Middle French cresselle,  meaning rattle. Even today the Roman Catholic Church uses a small wooden rattle called a cresselle, in place of a bell.

            Given the shrill nature of the kestrel’s call, this seems a little odd, as rattles tend not to be high pitched. The texture of the sound though, with its staccato rhythm could, with a little imagination be compared with a rattle.

            The call is not the most identifiable characteristic of the bird. It is the hovering silhouette that catches your attention first; usually over roadside verges. This is because a lot of time is spent on the road, so we are more likely to be there to see them. The verges, with their long grass, relatively wild mixture of plants and discarded food items create a fine ecosystem for small mammals. The favourite food of the kestrel is the field vole. These small creatures are unlikely to be seen by people, unless the family cat presents one to the household. As they scurry about they leave a trail of urine which is visible to the kestrel in the ultra-violet spectrum; so the bird can follow a trail to the unfortunate mammal. Hovering above, unlike other falcons, the kestrel will not commit itself to one high speed stoop, but rather stoops to a lower altitude, before stooping again and possibly even a third time, before falling on its prey.

            This habit of hovering is illustrated by the colloquial names that have been given to the kestrel over the years, such as that of “windhover”. However, there are many other colourful names such as “hover hawk”; “stand hawk”; “wind cuffer”; “wind bivver”; “wind bibber” and “wind sucker” that  may be found throughout the country. There is an old and more unexpected name that alludes to this same behaviour. The work of William Lockwood unearthed that in the sixteenth century it was known as the “wind f***er” and that until the nineteenth century, in northern England, the name “f***wind” survived. The modern translation of these names is “wind beater”, but it is unlikely that there will be a resurgence of these old names (particularly in family discussions).

            Although hovering is the most commonly seen hunting behaviour, the kestrel spends relatively little time in the air, preferring the “perch and pounce” technique. Sitting on a post or tree branch, waiting for a likely target, it will then stoop down to capture it. While the vole is the favourite prey, worms, insects, mice, and even small birds (particularly in urban environments) also form part of the diet.

Kestrels have adapted to live very well with humans and can take advantage of a number of surroundings. The preference is for open land such as meadow and farmland (trees, hedges and fences being beneficial), they may also be found in heaths, marshes, cliffs and coastal areas; all habitats with which Northumberland is blessed.

            This ability to adapt has undoubtedly been a major factor in the survival of the kestrel. As other birds of prey, they have suffered great challenges from the activities of people; including persecution, and the use of pesticide, particularly the now well known DDT, both having taken their toll on numbers. However following the ban on DDT and the education of  land-owners, numbers began to increase and were estimated at 70,000 pairs in the 1990s. But continued intensive farming methods and a crash in the numbers of voles has reduced this number to about 40,000; placing the kestrel on the amber list for conservation. Hopefully the fall in small mammal numbers is a short term part of the cycle of the animal population and will recover itself, and the increase in more environmentally friendly farming will give the kestrel a better chance.

            The adaptability to hunting grounds also extends to nesting choices. Kestrels are not nest builders – they take an opportunity where they find it. This may be an old crow’s nest, a hole in a tree, a crevice in a wall or cliff, or even on building ledges in town centres. The three to six eggs are laid in April or May, with incubation taking about a month. The chicks need constant brooding for the first ten to fourteen days and usually fledge when they are about a month old. They are year-round inhabitants, but will change location depending on food supplies.

            Some chicks are illegally taken from the wild each year by unscrupulous would-be falconers. They may try to fly them, but more often the birds are abandoned and left to die. Kestrels have not been traditionally valued as falconry birds; possibly because of their diminutive stature and the size of prey they take. This is illustrated by the following passage from the “The Boke of St Albans” (1486):

 

“An Eagle for an Emperor, a Gyrfalcon for a King, a Peregrine for a Prince, a Saker for a Knight, a Merlin for a Lady, a Goshawk for a Yeoman, a Sparrowhawk for a Priest, a Musket for a Holy water Clerk, a Kestrel for a Knave.”

           

This passage provided the title for the novel by Barry Hines: “A Kestrel for a Knave” (1968), which was later to be adapted to the film “Kes”, directed by Ken Loach (1969). Unfortunately the attitude that a kestrel is a lowly bird seems to have led to the belief that it is a good choice for a novice falconer and an easy bird to keep. Nothing could be further from the truth:  take for example the maintenance of body weight. If a bird is allowed to get too heavy it will refuse to fly, if too light it will die. Smaller birds have more critical allowances than their larger counterparts. A kestrel with an established flying weight of five ounces only has to lose half an ounce and it will die. Equally, if allowed to gain half an ounce it will not fly.

            A kestrel may have been considered a lowly bird, but its abilities cannot help but evoke wonder in the spectator. It is perfectly suited and adapted to its chosen niche and it has survived through the challenges it has faced. As a high level predator it is the first to suffer when an ecosystem fails, so the sight of the “windhover” is a sign that the local ecosystem is in fine form. Northumberland has such a diverse range of habitats that it is an ideal county to be the home of this natural treasure, and the regular sightings at places such as those illustrated in the photographs is a credit to the environment of the county.