Arrest after rescue of kestrel chicks at Wolverhampton church
A man has been arrested after four kestrel chicks were rescued in a suspected poaching incident in the grounds of a Wolverhampton church.
Police attended St Mary's Church, in Bushbury, expecting to find metal thieves after receiving reports of activity on the church roof.
Instead they found the four birds of prey stuffed in a bag in a nearby parked car. Response officers found the nest some 50ft high at the top of the church.
A 39-year-old man from Whitmore Reans was arrested in the church grounds and later charged under the Wildlife & Countryside Act with possessing protected wild birds.
He is due to appear at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on September 10. Now, five weeks later, Pc Chris Watson watched the fledged birds fly their nest after being returned with the help of firefighters.
He said: "We needed to find the nest quickly as the longer they were away the more chance there was of their mother abandoning the nest, assuming she'd lost them.
"We found it hidden high up on the side of the church – it had been accessed with a makeshift extended ladder, made up of two ladders strapped together with electrical wiring.
"Those involved were not only poaching birds illegally but also putting themselves in very real danger. It was great to see the mum and dad regularly returning to care for and feed their chicks and – a thrill to see them eventually fly the nest."
