Young Male Kestrel Meets His Match in Courtship | Athena & Apollo | Robert E Fuller
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2021
- This film follows the story of Apollo, a young male kestrel whose eagerness to find a mate and settle down lands him a partner that is more than a match for him.
Watch Apollo & Athena interact live on my nest cam: • Live From Ash Wood | R... and follow their story in this playlist: • Kestrels 🦅 Apollo & At...
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ABOUT THIS FILM
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Apollo's search
I first spotted this young kestrel, named Apollo, in early April when I noticed him looking for somewhere to nest in Ash Wood. He was sitting at the entrance to a potential site, calling for a female kestrel to join him. Unfortunately, this spot was already occupied by a barn owl and when a female finally responded to his calls, he was unable to offer it to her. The female soon moved on.
I make him a nest
Competition for good nest sites in spring is fierce, so I decided to help this kestrel out. I worked round the clock to build the perfect kestrel nest box. Of course, it had cameras hidden inside so that I could watch what happened.
Now all he needs is a mate
It didn’t take long for Apollo to find it and he began calling again to attract another mate. He even dug a shallow scrape into the floor of the nest to show how ready this box is for kestrel eggs.
Cue Athena
All this hard work paid off because soon a female kestrel appeared. Apollo could barely contain himself, bowing up and down to greet her. Her greying tail indicated she’s at least three years old. The fans of my livestream named her Athena.
Kestrel courtship
Apollo is only young and by his enthusiastic attitude I suspect this is his first courtship. Eagerly, he brought Athena a vole. But it’s been a dry spring and food is scarce so when he cannot keep up the supply, she whips into a fury, cornering him in the nest and screeching at him!
Athena the kestrel
Athena seems to be a very forthright, no-nonsense individual. She’s done this before and knows the rules - and she doesn’t mind making this very clear to Apollo. Thankfully, her tactic works and the poor male kestrel rushes off to find more food for her.
Kestrel eggs
The strategy pays off and it’s not long before Athena lays her first, reddish brown kestrel egg. When Apollo returns in the morning, he is so delighted he also settles down to protect the kestrel egg.
Apollo has matured
From young bachelor to hard-working mate, Apollo the kestrel has come a long way. He is named after the god of light and reason, moderation and all things harmonious and considering how hard this kestrel works to keep the peace, the name suits him perfectly.
Next video
My next video will follow this kestrel pair as they go on to raise five chicks. Subscribe to my channel to get a notification when it comes out.
ABOUT ME
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I am a British wildlife artist and filmmaker on a mission to share my love for wildlife with the world. As well as creating detailed animal film and art portraits, I promote wildlife tours around the world and do all I can to help conserve and protect wildlife here at my home in Yorkshire. I hope that by putting nature in the frame I can foster a deep love for wildlife amongst my followers.
You may like to purchase my artwork which you can find on my website: www.robertefuller.com. Many of my paintings are portraits of the wonderful characters you watch here!
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© Robert E Fuller
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#robertefuller #kestrel #falcon #wildlives #apolloandathena
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I love how he is basically running frantically up and down the neighbourhood slamming every house door open to see if the house is empty, and the occupants react accordingly
All the versions of GTFO, and then the kestrels having to do the same with the barn owl
that barn owl couple looked so startled 🤣
' jesus what the fck'
LOL!!!
Man, even birds are having a hard time finding a house in this economy
As you do
She's like "You ain't leaving until I'm done talking to you, boy."
Yep! She’s going to be a good mother
Hahaha true
She really put him in his place! He’ll learn quickly - they’ll be good parents 😊
Seems like women are the same everywhere!
An independent woman 😌
Apollo: *leaves for five minutes to get a girl*
Barn Owl: Hipity hopity your nest is my property
Neji😂😂
Ik why is nobody talking about that??😂😂😂
I laughed so hard it was one of those silent wheezes that frighten my kids
It’s free real estate
Squatters Rights
“How do you expect me to raise a family off of bread crumbs! I need meat Apollo, MEAT!!”
😂
🤣
😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂
😬😬😂
the way Athena didn't let him leave until she finished yelling at him 😂
Beutifull.
Sounds like a regular marriage
@@MJT-DA no, it doesnt. thats not healthy. humans are not animal
@@mee6703 We are D:
@@mee6703 um we are...
Female Kestrel: "What am I supposed to do with this worm ... you are kidding right"
Made me laugh
@@RobertEFuller think you summed up their "argument" just right...
She made her case very well!
“b*tch we just met”🤣
@@Cyrax4d “b*tch you already failing to impress me” lmao
I feel so bad for him, but I’m cracking up at her flipping out over the worm. Lol The way he bowed down and looked so ashamed/scared while she was screaming. 😂 Poor guy!
He was a bit of a simp lol
Same, than he wanted to leave the place just to get a break from her. I feel so bad for him😭🤣🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I mean if i was him i would be scared of her she's older more experienced and bigger than him
She lectured him big time lmao poor birdy
I love how the birds go around searching for a nest like if they were checking up apartments on rent
"Kinda meth heads lived in this place? Good bird god!"
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
The fact that she scolded him for bringing the worm 🤣
She’s an older woman with higher expectations. If he wants to keep her he’s going to have to do more than the bare minimum.😆
@@trika91 exaclty. She already knows what is best.
5:37
@@june-soelee5870 thanks lmao
"YOU CALL THIS A MEAL, APOLLO!?"
I like how he's so excited jumping up and down like a 6 year old in a candy store lol
One of my favourite moments too!
Not a candy store... more like red light district.
It's the head bobs that always get a laugh out of me
At first I thought it was a mating dance…
@@RobertEFuller 😲
Athena- come fight me owl! I’ll beat you up! Try me!”
*falls*
Owl- *looks down at her* you good?
Me when I try to be intimidating
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yeah! That was so funny! Still chuckling about it.
I love how he was so busy trying to up his dating game he didn't notice his house was over run with owl.
hahaha I was thinking the same, like how do you not notice that giant owl at 0:32 hahaha
Her getting angry and yelling at him for bringing worms, then blocking the entrance so he couldn't leave until she was done yelling at him, reminds me of some couples I know...
@Lewis C sorry you went through that abuse bro glad you’re good now
@Lewis C happy you got away
@Lewis C U made the right decision, U deserve a better mate
@Lewis C That's abuse,(sorry that happened) this...was seasoned mother, making sure her babies wouldn't starve due to his bachelor-like behavior.
@@elisemiller13 She was not a mother yet. They hadn't mated until after that. And the lack of food wasn't due to Apollo's behavior, the narrator explained that food was scarce.
“And soon a new female arrives”
“Apollo can barely contain himself”
Apollo: :D ⬆️⬇️⬆️⬇️⬆️⬇️⬆️⬇️
🤪🤪
He's trying to put in the Konami code for 30 eggs
@@PollenEye hahahah
Halo players do this too, over a dead body it's an gloating insult to the dead, but performed before a living opponent it's a peace offering, and sometimes an invitation to trade.
-Sticky Keys message sent to apollo
Aww bless Apollo. He sees his egg for the first time ever and is immediately like Egg?? Egg! My egg. I sit. What a good father ☺️
He is so funny to watch you can see what he is thinking 💭
The way his entire demeanor shifts when he sees the egg, instead of his expected mate, reminds me of the Bird and Moon comic "Instinct is Weird".
Ah yes, a smooth round child.
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
“What do you mean by bringing me worms??!"
"Sorry dear, I'll go back out and see if I can..."
"Excuse me mister, I’m not finished with you yet!” 🦅
What timestamp
@@Birbzz 5:50
Thanks
That sounded Soo British
If your girl screams at you for not bringing you enough food
That ain’t your girl that’s a kestrel
Homeboy brought back a worm 🤦♀️ Glad he got it together
Bruh 😂🤦🏿♂️
Lmaooooooo. then after getting scolded, my mans brought back that huge vole, impressing the female
He was trying
😂👏🏼
Yeah just worm = rare food to Apollo if he thinks it's okay to give his mate worms
Apollo when he gets home early: “Honey I’m home, how are y-“
*notices egg*
Apollo: “A child? How wonderful!”
"Oh! An egg! Cuddling and protecting it!" - kinda cute to see the kestrel surprised and seemingly happy by it.
Really interesting to see the female have a go at the male for bringing worms!
Really makes you think
I would.
@@sassymiles847 I WoUld
@@Vineor it does, doesn't it?! Animals are just fascinating! Amazing how they all have their own way of communicating 🥰
@@Naturally3m0 it seems screeching and yelling is pretty effective at conveying emotion no matter the animal
She stopped him from leaving, lol. She was going to explain her self first. 🤣💜
He got a big telling off. 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤦🏿♂️ women!
@@mainmotto 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️🤣🤣🤣
@@happyapple4269 😆🤣
Thats more of a cussing out. But it worked😂
I’m so glad Apollo got to redeem himself by bringing back that giant rat thing because that little itty bitty worm was pathetic. That doesn’t even count as an appetizer! Was he trying to starve her?!
Yeah he’s cute, but I would’ve scolded him too!
LOL
@Damien Paz LOUDER FOR THOSE IN THE BACK
I love how he instantly cares for the egg as soon as he sees it!
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
Ha ha! The male bobbing up and down as his mate first enters the nest is just magnificent. Such an incredible story to have captured!
It was soo cute! 💞💞💞
Seemed not unlike what it was exactly like for me.
@@dimidomo7946 i’m tryna understand what you wrote but I can’t
It was so precious seeing how excited he was !!
He was T-bagging😂
I like how Apollo's like this nest is perfect except for there's that weird shiny thing in the corner but that doesn't seem to be doing anything.
Athena: “Are you recording this?”
+Wertsir that explains the mating outide, she knew what was up and realized Apollo was just a clueless boy
@@redeye4516 it’s his first time though shouldn’t he be allowed a reference
+rebecca harber
I'm saying Apollo is a himbo
@@redeye4516 yeah I know I’m essentially agreeing. It’s a diary of sorts (and possibly his resume if he starts slacking off with worms again) 🤣
I love how startled the owls were when Apollo peaked in. Athena yelling at him for the worm was amazing.
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
One day i caught my cat right when she caught a young male kestrel hawk, i was able to very quickly get the bird from my cat and i brought it inside my house to check for injuries of any kind. Well the bird was fine and as soon as i started looking him over he got loose in my house and was flying top speed and pulling incredible maneuvers around lamps, ceiling fans and me! It took a good 30 minutes to re-catch the bird and he took up a posture of laying on his back and striking with his talons. I gathered him upright, his incredibly strong toes clamped down upon my fingers and his nails digging into my skin, i had nothing but awe and wonder for this incredible bird and felt it was a rare honor to be so close to such a wild animal. I set him in a pine tree out front in the yard, toe by toe, he was kind of stressed and shocked, but after about an hour he flew off💕 I was so happy i was able to save him, though my cat was not too pleased.
The kestrels are named Athena and Apollo and they're getting married...
When you know Athena and Apollo are brother and sister:
*Sweet home, Mount Olympus*
Makes sense. It's Greek Mithology, most couples there are siblings anyway. LOL
Lmao
Zeus and Hera : That's cute.
like father like son
Ah, I see you are cultured as well. Alabama is overused, I love me the comparisons to the Greek gods and the Hapsburgs.
Apollo doing better than me. I got a nest and been making sexy sounds but no mates swooping in to take a peek 🤔
Have you tried making a depression for the female to nest in -worked for me
Least you got nest, I've had to steal someone's hard work for so long. That I don't even know the concept of having a mate.
have you tried an offering of cheesecake factory or red lobster?
@@FAIRYGIRL911 or olive garden.
@@FAIRYGIRL911 Obviously humans are no different to birds on this vid. He is gonna need to do more than bringing just a worm.
He and Athena have so much personality. I’ve never seen a female kestrel scold so fiercely, she gave him so many chances like she knew he was inexperienced but still saw his potential. She was going to bring it out of him one way or another. Apollo is going to be an amazing father and mate with his eager attitude… maybe we will actually see the male help defend the nest at night xD
I like how she wouldn't let him leave until she was done yelling at him
Kestrel flying to the barn owl home:
*We’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty*
We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty
are you the same Kimmie thats on the urban rescue ranch
Lmao
You have a real talent for telling stories, but even more than that... you put the story to life in a short movie! Your movies truly deserve awards. The music, the close-up imagery, all set in that beautiful landscape of yours. I love everything!
I agree completely! I just love this content! I learn something new every time I watch. I always get a thrill when my notification tells me a new video has been posted!
So true!!!! He deserves more. A Oscar!
6:36
"...but soon I spot the pair mating, just off camera"
*2 birds violently mating in the background*
This is criminally underrated
Truly 💓💓💓
He’s like a fresh 18 year old on he’s fist time in a nightclub, busting out the moves trying to impress the opposite sex…
Yeah and finds some 30 year old Karen 😅
@@Shastasnow 30 year old that Just divorced and that probably drinks a lot of wine
@@Iregretmyoldname that wants lots of money for child support allowance from an 18 y.o
Oh, my-I can feel how furious the female was, and how stressed Polo was. But so good to see they matched really well by the end!
*Apollo*
Their both named after Greek mythology.
From wikipedia:
Apollo is one of the Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology. The national divinity of the Greeks, Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more.
Athena was the patron goddess of heroic endeavor; she was believed to have aided the heroes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, and Jason. Along with Aphrodite and Hera, Athena was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the beginning of the Trojan War.
@@AngelEmfrbl jo mama
I'd be mad too if the one was dating was suppose to bring home dinner and brought home a little snack instead. She's guarding the nest the least he can do is bring home food.
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
"You better come back with good food this time!" Lol, she knows what she wants
Shout out to this dude just having cameras all over his property.
I love how many of the birds bob their heads when first exploring the new nest site, almost like they are saying "Yes, well done Robert". Thank you for the beautifully produced content its a pleasure to watch.
This. Underrated. Comment 🙌🙌🙌
hahaha you dont have to be the same species to know EXACTLY what Athena was yelling at Apollo lol oh that made me chuckle
bro i acculy started to cry tears of joy when Apollo sat on the egg for the first time that was just an emotional journey
I love the honesty of the video. I grew up watching ‘documentaries’ that somehow painted almost every aspect of “wildlife” through a Disney lens! I’ll take confronting honesty over any BS any day!!
PS: I have to admit, as a woman/mom/grandma, I couldn’t help but to do a little happy dance as the female read him the riot act! Whether people like to believe it or not, animals and humans are simply different models of the same life!
What a cute pair. I found it kinda funny when Athena was yelling at Apollo and puffed up in the doorway to keep him from getting out before she was done.
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
Lol him bobbing up and down looks like "look at this nest I found! Isn't it great? We could use it!"
He's so excited and I'm happy for more kestlins
I love how he did the little dance it looked so adorable^^
When athena yelled at apollo I was like "ain't so excited for your first girlfriend now huh?" Welcome to relationships.
He's a fantastic looking Male, great footage.
Great work that you're doing Robert, Kestrels still need all the help they can get.
@@jasonbarnett8911 yes
"What the heck is this worm for? Do I look like a robin to you?!"
6:04 It’s like my mom when I’m having a conversation that escalated into an argument way too fast
Birds are so pure it makes me cry everytime.
0:16 I love how he's just like "yeah, I like this spot" and nods
I love it's like the bird version of "AND ANOTHER THING" in arguments when she blocked Apollo from leaving.
It was so cute how Apollo bowed to Athena when she entered the nest box!
Very cute!🐥😁
There are two different comments: he was so excited when Athena came and when she wouldn’t let him leave for bringing the worm
6:18 the way she rips the food right out of his claws and runs off lmao
Absolutely love these mini movies, they are so brilliant and well made. Truly the best on TH-cam ♡
Thank you
@@RobertEFuller its the man himself
@@RobertEFuller do you or your staff read the comments
@@uwuowo4856 pretty sure he does, he replied to one of my comments telling me his daughters name is Pippin ☺
3:30
nice guys: "Write that down!"
I became instantly addicted to these videos
The female when Apollo caught the vole is like: ‘Give me That!’
This is awesome and beautiful :D
Squatters everywhere you go. I’m so glad he found a proper wife and settled down in such a nice little home. Again thank you for your dedication and hard work. If it were not for your love of nature so many of us would not get this wonderful opportunity to see nature as it’s suppose to be. God bless you.
Wow 😳.. this was one of the best bird videos I've ever seen!!! More should be done this way!!!!!!!
This was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen
Such exquisite storytelling with terrific actors. Thank you for all the hard word editing this together.
Yessss!
"Actors" I can't 🤣🤣🤣🤣💀
So when a Kestrel brings his mate a dead vole, its romantic. I do it and I'm suddenly a weirdo!?
Too small like the worm was, humans are bigger. Rabbits are minimum, a deer buck is a great gift.
@@redeye4516 So noted
+Jack Myers oh, I should have mentioned: make sure she's not a vegan first. If she's wearing a realtree camo t-shirt she's more likely to appreciate these gifts of meat. A vegan might appreciate you catching a wild carrot or something, idk I haven't dated one.
@@redeye4516 a wild carrot 🤣🤣🤣
@@redeye4516 Who are you and why are you so wise in the ways of human courtship?
The beauty of birds.. love watching it, thanks for sharing
7:18 he like “AYO IS THAT AN EGG?”
You know Robert, you made me live all these birds. And now every week I ask my mom to get birds food so I can watch all of the birds eat and types of birds I've never seen. You changed my life Robert thanks keep up the good work.😁
Love
Thank you that’s great! I’m going to post your kind comment on my community feed
Well spoken. It is truly refreshing to see someone post up a youtube video that is not just another self-obsessed cry for attention. Sometimes I am bewildered by people's constant need for validation on social media. If God was watching us on TH-cam he/she would probably think we were all a bunch of twats!
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
0:15 "But there's one thing he is missing: a female"
*Bird nods*
This is fascinating. This damn bird has a better love life than I do.
i was having such a crappy morning & this instantly helped my mood lol. thank you
I'm so glad!
So he likes older women eh?😉🤣🤣
I'm proud of him, he's done well and seems to be paying attention. A Guy who listens! 😁👍❤🍻
He’ll take what he can get
@@flask223 hahahahaha indeed he will.
This is wonderful. When he brings her the worm - "What's this? Flowers from the garage???"
They make the sweetest sounds!
I love their dynamic so much! Apolo being a cute, clueless bean while Athina is a no-nonsense badass. It's adorable I want more!! 💜💜💜
It's just so beautiful that they know instinctively exactly what to do, protect the eggs at all costs. ☺️
I love these stories 😄
Poor Apollo, thank god he finally found a mate 😄
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
He’s beautiful! The markings on his tail etc.
Amazing work!!! Love the beautiful footage and your commentary.
Thank you so much 😀
Constantly challenge for get his family.
and he finally earned her love.
such a man. never stop being a good man to his woman.**
“Love”…
After all that scolding lol
Well, that's all nice, but they're destined to break up, I'm afraid.
@@wareforcoin5780 that wasn't necessary to say 😑
+maichiki yiist not these two, kestrels seem to mate for life
5:15
The way she plummeted- 🤣
I'm happy she's OK but I wouldn't come back that night either if I fell like that!
That could have been embarrassing 😂
Aw Apollo, such a sweet lad.
That barn owl was like " You left the window open, so that was a free invitation. This my house now."
You are doing so many great things. Providing homes for animals and educating people on them. Please don’t stop. This is amazing 🙌🏼
It’s amazing how fast Apollo was learning. I really can’t wait to see a Part 2! I love how sassy his new mate is 😂
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
This was beautiful to watch, Thank you for sharing!🤗😊
These are beautiful birds and the narrator is excellent. Thank you Robert. I will be hoping the outcome is sucessful for this pair of kestrels.
lol this has some striking parallels to human behavior
Right im like oh I see I see 🍓♐
4:18 maybe the other females thought the camera was a bit of a red flag?
It seems like every bird that hops into your artificial nests has to inspect this oddly perfect house that wasn’t here a week ago 😂
This is the best love story I’ve ever seen
Love this! Apollo is a fab name for him
I like the way you explain
2:39 she leaves, and apollo is alone once again.
I feel u apollo
When Athena didn’t like the *nest* at first and left I was like “Apollo, you deserve better!!” I love how he made this an interesting story with his words- especially at the end when he said “from young bachelor” had me dead😭😭
Excuse me, Athena is a LADY, and she deserves the best! You can't hatch chicks with measly old worms! She needs a REAL meal! What Apollo did is like the equivalent of making your girl a really cheap, poor quality TV dinner for her birthday. You just don't DO that.
@@WobblesandBean lol no, I meant *nest* not best. Also, I completely agree with you btw so I liked your comment, typo was mistake😭
@@WobblesandBean The question is, what is he getting in return lol... why go through so much trouble and emotional stress
@@KARTIKEYA007 kestrels don't care: "will you mate with me? You can have whatever you want"
th-cam.com/video/5oc5aCAFEPE/w-d-xo.html
She told him OFF when he brought the worm XD
This made my heart melt! So beautiful to watch these two and their story unfold. Thank you for sharing this with us, truly well done
I am crying. It is so beautiful and humorous and heartwarming. Wow.