A Small Kestrel from Sveti Urban Travels to Zagreb!
Yesterday, we successfully took care of a small kestrel that had fallen from our plane trees after a storm. This is a wild and very useful bird of prey. The small kestrel will soon travel to Zagreb, where it will find its forever home in the surrounding forests.
The small kestrel is not injured, but it is still too young to fly,” said nature guardian Krušelj.
Many thanks to the agile employee Antonio from the Public Institution Međimurje Nature for the rescue operation!
The Institution has written a short blog about the entire course of the operation on its website, which we reproduce below, along with a link to the original text.
A Small Kestrel from Sveti Urban Travels to Zagreb!
The canopies of the two plane trees in Sveti Urban hide many secrets and surprises. Perhaps this is because these two trees were protected in 1995, or because they competed for Croatian Tree of the Year in 2020, or maybe because they are the proud guardians of the wine cellar of the famous Lovrec winemaking family. It was the members of this family who reported the bird’s accident.
Krešo and Jasna with small kestrel
A nest was built high in the canopy of one of the plane trees by kestrels. During the last heavy rain and wind, a young chick, a small kestrel, unfortunately fell out of the nest in the evening. The Lovrec family immediately took action and called the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals (AWAP). Since Međimurje Nature – Public Institution for Nature Protection has been cooperating excellently with this association for many years, the information quickly reached the nature guardians of Međimurje. Antonio Krušelj provided instructions on how to handle the chick until his arrival.
Little fighter for his freedom
“According to the description from the family members who found the small chick at the foot of the plane tree, I realized it was a bird of prey and recommended that they only give it water. They placed the bird in their cat or dog carrier. When I arrived to take over, I saw that it was a kestrel, our smallest falcon. It is still too young to fly, so it will be cared for by the AWAP association. The Lovrec family members were happy to have helped it. When taking the kestrel, I heard what were probably the older birds, likely its parents, calling and flying, and I believe there are still some chicks left in the nest,” described the field intervention nature guardian Antonio Krušelj.
Soon I’ll fly where I want
The protected plane trees in Sveti Urban are in good condition, they are vital trees. They symbolize breadth, wisdom, charity, and strength of character due to their deep roots. The Public Institution Međimurje Nature and its nature guardians believe that the young kestrel will also be a bird of character and will find its new life path. Međimurje Nature thanks everyone who helped in this.
Link to original article: Mala vjetruša iz Svetog Urbana putuje u Zagreb
Photos: Antonio Krušelj, Roberta Radović, Jasna Lovrec