Watch: Kestrel caught posing for selfies after using motorway CCTV mast as a perch

This is the hilarious moment a kestrel decided to use a motorway CCTV mast as a perch.

The wide-eyed bird is seen checking out her own reflection in the camera, seemingly fascinated at the sight of herself.

However, her reign at the top of the mast comes under threat when she is mobbed by a magpie and a raven.

The kestrel was fascinated by her own reflection (PA)
The kestrel was fascinated by her own reflection (PA)

MORE: An AI program has beaten humans at Texas Hold’Em poker for the first time
MORE: Watch: Dramatic footage shows exactly what happens when a city is flooded

The CCTV camera also filmed her searching for prey and struggling against high winds.

Highways England released the footage of the bird of prey on the mast at junction 11a of the M5 in Gloucestershire in October after this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

Traffic officer Leigh Goodchild, from Highways England’s regional control centre in Avonmouth, was among the first people to spot the kestrel.

The bird of prey was perched on the mast on junction 11a of the M5 in Gloucestershire (PA)
The bird of prey was perched on the mast on junction 11a of the M5 in Gloucestershire (PA)
The kestrel was mobbed by a magpie and a raven while perched on the mast (PA)
The kestrel was mobbed by a magpie and a raven while perched on the mast (PA)

She said: “We’ve grown quite fond of our feathered friend since she started visiting the camera.

“The platform seems to give a good view of the surrounding area and potential prey – on one occasion she returned with half a mouse which she proceeded to swallow complete, tail and all.

“We’ve also noticed she’s rather obsessed with her own image, which she probably thinks is an equally nosy kestrel in the camera, but her inquisitiveness has given us some good close-ups.

The bird squawked and attacked the lens a few times (PA)
The bird squawked and attacked the lens a few times (PA)

“She’s squawked and attacked the lens a few times as well but when that happens we try to discourage her from hurting herself by tilting the camera skywards.

“Her visits certainly brighten up our day and make a change from the traffic.”

The RSPB estimates there are around 46,000 breeding pairs of kestrels in the UK, and the bird is on its amber list of protected species.