Nature Notes - The Kestrels of Geraldton

High above the salt-baked rooftops and wind-carved dunes of Geraldton, a small falcon carves out its life. Meet the Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides)-often seen hovering in place, scanning the ground below, hunting in the margins of our built environment and natural edges.

A resilient resident

This kestrel has thrived across Australia, including Western Australia’s Midwest coast. It favours open ground, such as farmland, grassland or coastal scrub-anywhere it can hover, spot prey and dive. https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profilesIn the Geraldton region the species appears among the list of “birds of prey commonly seen” including kestrels, ospreys and eagles. https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/birds-of-preyOne local account reported a pair in Geraldton in May 2021. https://www.mdahlem.net/birds

Hunting in the wind

What sets the kestrel apart is its hovering technique. Unlike many falcons that rely purely on speed, the Nankeen kestrel often hovers-wings beating rapidly, tail spread as a rudder-above open ground before plunging to catch its prey. https://en.wikipedia.orgIts diet is adaptable: insects, small lizards, rodents, small birds-they take whatever is available. This versatility helps the kestrel survive in both semi-rural and suburban fringes. https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles

Nesting where we least expect

These birds don’t build elaborate nests—they often use old nests of other birds (such as crows), tree hollows, cliff ledges, or even eaves of sheds. One Geraldton-area raptor rescue volunteer said kestrels often return to the same nest year after year. https://www.geraldtonguardian.com.auIn a region where bushland gives way to industrial and residential edge, this flexibility is critical.

Threats at the fringe

Although classified as Least Concern globally, kestrels face local risks: rodenticide poisoning (when they eat poisoned rodents), loss of hunting habitat, and disturbance of nest sites. In Geraldton, local wildlife groups note that birds of prey including kestrels are among the species affected by improper bait use. https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/birds-of-prey“Once you've held a raptor injured by the world we built, you understand how finely their lives are balanced - and how fiercely they fight to stay in the sky.”

Why they matter

In our region, the kestrel plays a quiet but vital role-keeping insect outbreaks in check, preying on rodents, and sustaining the balance in the bush-edge spaces around us. Watching one hover is witnessing precision in motion, a live thread connecting urban fringe to wild land.