El Oso Nest Box Chicks

A Wetland Nest Box in Castilla y León

Tucked inside a wooden nest box at the Laguna de El Oso wetland reserve, this camera offers an up-close view of one of the site's many artificial cavities installed for cavity-nesting birds. The reserve, part of a network of protected wetlands in the province of Ávila, provides a quiet refuge where native species can raise their young away from disturbance.

From Kestrel to Jackdaw

The box was originally installed for the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a small falcon common to the region's open countryside. After months of territorial back-and-forth, a pair of jackdaws took over the cavity, laying their eggs and successfully hatching a brood that now fills the frame with fluffy, grey-white down.

Life Inside the Cavity

The fixed close-up angle captures the chicks' every move as they huddle, stretch, and jostle for space within the snug wooden interior. Visitors can watch the steady rhythm of nestling life — from feeding visits to the gradual emergence of feathers.

Part of a Wider Wetland Camera Network

This nest box is one of several live cameras operated across the Laguna de El Oso reserve, each dedicated to a different species or vantage point within the wetland. Together they form a window into the reserve's biodiversity, from waterbirds on the lagoon to cavity nesters like this one.