A baby Kestrel....

Today my son Brendan found a baby bird under his car.  Being an animal lover like his mum, he brought it inside as he was worried that the poor little fellow might get run over in the road.  It turns out that it's a baby Kestrel.  Kestrels are quite common where we live and we often see them flying about over the olive groves looking for their next meal.

Brendan put the kestrel in an open topped box on the terrace in the hope that it's mother would come looking for it, but nothing...not a peep. :(  No sign of mum and not a sound from the little birdie!

Brendan has been trying to give it a drop or two of water using a syringe, because in this heat it wouldn't take long for it to become dehydrated.   Virginia, Brendan's fiance, found a small cage so that it can be protected overnight, and they've been making enquiries with a friend who hunts using Birds of Prey; apparently Kestrels are a protected species and if you're found with one you can be fined up to €3,000!!!!  So tomorrow they'll be taking it to the Guardia Civil in the hope that they'll know what to do with it.......

Now if it had been an African Grey..........

UPDATE:  Brendan called Seprona in Sevilla,  which is the part of the guardia civil that deals with animals and they asked for a photo of the bird.  It turns out that this little one is an
cernicalo, which is a Kestrel, but it isn't a 'common' Kestrel but one that is a protected species in danger of extinction!!!!  So they are coming to collect it tomorrow morning!  

All's well that ends well!!!

"Have you anything stronger?" says little baby Kestrel....(Brendan's photo).