Coalville: Lost kestrel reunited with owner miles from home

Cerys Clarke thanked everyone who helped find Molko

A kestrel that flew miles away from home after being chased away by two other birds has been reunited with his owner.

Molko was missing for four nights before he was found by his owner Cerys Clarke, from Leicestershire, on 23 February.

The 25-year-old was flying her European Kestrel at a farm near her home in Coalville on 19 February when he was chased off by two wild kestrels.

Molko was later found in Derbyshire.

Ms Clarke, who has hand-reared Molko, said the biggest threat to captive kestrels was normally the wild ones, adding: "They can be quite nasty."

After losing signal from his tracker, Ms Clarke posted appeals on social media.

She explained that without Molko's tracker, it was "like looking for a needle in a haystack".

Molko will be two in May

Ms Clarke said: "After being here, there and everywhere, on 22 February a lovely lady in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, posted a picture of him sat on a street sign, so I raced over and just missed him."

Her dad joined her in Long Eaton the following day to help look for Molko, but Ms Clarke said she was "really starting to lose hope".

"Dad had suggested just before we went home and gave up for the day, to check the local nature reserve one more time," she added.

"We were walking down this path and I heard the bell. I instantly knew it was Molko.

"He was sat in a tree and the way he was staring at me was as if to say, 'where have you been? I've not had my dinner'."

'He's my everything'

Ms Clarke immediately gave Molko some food and secured him on a glove.

He weighs about 190g and, given the cold weather and lack of food, Ms Clarke said "the worst really could have happened".

She said: "As soon as I had him secured, I was a blubbering mess.

"Falconers say you shouldn't get attached to a bird, because if you fly a bird, you could lose a bird, but I can't help it. He's my everything."

Additional reporting by BBC Radio Leicester