Watch a live stream of kestrel chick at Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve
Apr 25, 2022, 3:56 PM | Updated: Jun 20, 2022, 1:55 pm
(American Kestrel © Courtney Celley/USFWS)
SALT LAKE CITY — Need a nature break while you’re sitting in your office chair? The Nature Conservancy has set up a live camera in a nest box to watch a newly hatched kestrel at Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve.
The parents have cared for five eggs over the past few weeks. The other four eggs were expected to hatch any day soon.
Kestrel are small falcons weighing just a few ounces. They call the grasslands and wetlands that surround the Great Salt Lake home.
“We have more than 300 species of birds at the Great Salt Lake at different times of the year, migrating in and migrating out,” said Andrea Nelson an avid birder with the TNC. “The kestrels are just a little, yet integral, part of this beautiful natural area.”
They hover over the ground while hunting voles and mice. The Nature Conservancy said they keep the rodent population under control.
Chris Brown who is the Stewardship Director at TNC is familiar with the kestrels. “Pairs of kestrels have been living in this nest for 12 years,” he said. “When I’m working around their home, they start chattering loudly. I think they’re asking me to be quiet or move away from their space.”
The live camera is designed to engage people in the wonders of nature. Learn more and enjoy the view by clicking here. You can also visit the preserve and take an audio tour through the TravelStorys GPS app.