A young lesser kestrel chick was safely rescued in Ma'ale Adumim at the start of the week after landing on the balcony of a local apartment. The rescue was carried out with the help of a resident and a Nature and Parks Authority inspector, and the chick was returned to its nest on the roof, where its parents were waiting overhead.
The incident happened during the peak nesting and breeding season for lesser kestrels. Ma'ale Adumim is considered one of Israel’s most important and beloved urban nesting sites for the species. The birds typically seek comfortable spaces under tiled roofs in residential buildings to raise their young.
At this time of year, the chicks begin making their first attempts to fly. Sometimes they leave the nest too early and end up on balconies, in gardens, or on sidewalks, unable to return on their own. In this case, the resident noticed the chick on her balcony and quickly called the Nature and Parks Authority because her house cat showed interest in it.
Inspector Asaf Shlomo Mizrahi arrived, collected the chick, and checked it to make sure it was not injured. Together with the resident, who knew the building well, he located the original nest on the tiled roof while the parents circled above. He climbed to the roof and placed the chick in a safe, elevated spot. The chick immediately began calling, and the adults recognized it and resumed caring for it. Mizrahi said the best response in such cases is to return chicks to the nest or to a nearby high and safe place as quickly as possible, and to contact the authority’s hotline promptly so the rescue can be handled properly.
