Robert Fuller is an experienced and successful wildlife photographer.
However, in May and June, he had a closer interaction with those that are normally the subject of his photographs when he became a foster parent for a nest of baby Kestrels after their mother passed away.
The five baby kestrels were just two days old when their mother unexpectedly died. Robert rescued the defenseless chicks and took them to a rehabilitation center where they were nursed for the next two months.
Watch the video of the birds and the ‘mother’ bird below.
[rumble video_id=v5q3vb domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
Fortunately, they all survived and in no time grew strong enough to be returned to the wild.
Robert, from Malton, North Yorkshire, said: “I had to work quickly since the chicks were too tiny to survive on their own. I lifted their mother off them and carefully took the chicks out from under her.
“Tucking all the chicks into my jumper to keep them warm, I carried them inside and quickly found a box and a heated mat to put them in whilst I made arrangements for my local wildlife rehabilitation center to take them in.”
No one was more pleased with the speed at which the chicks were mending than Robert himself.
Robert said: “I opened the door to the enclosure and watched them hop out with surprising confidence. It was an incredible feeling to watch them as they flew free over the trees at the edge of my garden.
“These chicks had survived such a disastrous start and here they were flying free on the wing.
“Then something even more incredible happened: after resting on the branch of a tree and testing themselves on the wing once more, all three fledglings flew back to the tower I had released them from. This was important because it meant that they saw the tower as home.
“Over the next few weeks, I left the door to the enclosure open so that they could come and go as they pleased. It was fun to watch them explore the garden. It was amazing to see how inquisitive they were.
“It was another two months before the Kestrels eventually left the garden and set out to find territories of their own.
“I still miss the sound of them calling out to me whenever I step out of the back door but it is great to think that they made it despite their tragic start.”
Replaced!