Where have all the Kestrels gone?

[luckyoldme]

Thank you one and all for your replies. Glad to see that Kestrels seem to be doing well at least in some areas, as they were really the only bird of prey that I noticed as a kid. Like you good people, I'm thrilled to have seen the uptick in other raptors in our area. Long may it continue and here's hoping for a mildish winter and lots of prey so that our local Kestrel numbers can once again resurge.

[King Edward]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

The conservation status within the BTO link you posted in itself indicates a 25-50% decline hence the reason Kestrel is BAP listed and Amber listed. The flucuating long term trend reference is a future prediction of the status.

Taking the BTO data at face value, Kestrels have indeed declined since the '70s, but the population seems to have been more or less stable since the mid-late '80s. So I don't think it's correct to describe Kestrels as a currently declining species (present tense) - 'fluctuating, with no long-term trend' is the BTO's assesment of the current situation (after the decade or so of rapid decline), not a prediction for the future, although they do report declines in Scotland and also in Ireland (not England).