When I saw this Kestrel sitting on a pole near the Bill on the Isle of Portland last week, I couldn’t help but wonder how long they live. Why? If you look at my Birding at Portland blog from October 2017, about a trip to Portland with my local bird club, you’ll see there’s a very similar photo of a Kestrel sitting on the exact same pole. A quick google tells me the average lifespan for a wild Kestrel is four to five years so I’m guessing the bird I saw last week is a descendant of the 2017 Kestrel and the pole is simply the perfect place for a Kestrel to perch while surveying for prey.