Let’s take a break from the sadder aspects of the Kestrels’ struggle to raise their offspring at the Block of Flats and have a look at something common to all living things’ drive to survive: food.

The wise scholars at Wikipedia tell us that the Nankeen Kestrel’s “Diet is varied, with a large number of insects, but also small birds and reptiles, and in particular, small rodents, mostly mice.” Who am I to argue? All I know is, until recently, I’d only ever seen the local birds eating lizards and insects.

Above is a pic from a year or to ago; the prey looks like an Australian Emperor dragonfly. This female was feeding chicks in the same nest we’re watching now, and the majority of the food she was providing on this particular evening was these insects.

Here’s this year’s dad arriving at the nest with a King Beetle (as ever, click on the pic for better resolution):

But this year, it’s been mainly lizards on the menu:

Sometimes you can see the parents taking a breather on one of their perches, lizard in beak:

But the surprise (to me at least) this year is evidence, via long lens, of the Kestrels eating other birds. I hadn’t seen this before, although it’s clear that Avivory isn’t out of the realms of their normal practice. Early on in this vigil, when I suspect the mother was spending a lot of time on the eggs, I saw both parents resorting to a spot where it became clear they had stashed the remains of small birds, which they then fed on.

Yes, I know that last one is out of focus, but it shows the female getting to grips with what was clearly once a male Superb Fairywren. The first looks like what’s left of a Yellow-Rumped Thornbill. And to dispel any lingering doubts, here’s the male getting rid of some pesky feathers from his lunch; the second pic shows the couple dining on bird in a rare tête-à-tête dinner:

Always something new to learn in nature! And, by the way, here’s confirmation that the Crimson Rosellas are also feeding their young at the Block of Flats.

Finally, just to sign off, if you want to see more images of Kestrels gorging on the corpses of other birds, or giving their ravenous offspring fresh lizard, let me know — I have plenty!