Notes

Kestrel Nest Box Project
The American Kestrel is the fastest-flying bird of prey in North America and is an indicator species for healthy habitats. Kestrel populations have been declining across their range, largely due to loss of habitat and competition for natural nest cavities from other birds and invasive species such as European starlings. To address this decline, the Kestrel Land Trust works with partners like the U.S. Forest Service, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, MassAudubon, and others to observe kestrels and their nests in hopes of better understanding what factors influence their numbers. This observation work is complemented by our Kestrel Nest Box Project, a long-term effort to increase the number of occupied kestrel nest boxes in our region.

Nesting boxes can be used to augment natural nest sites in arid, mountainous areas where kestrels have difficulty finding suitable places to raise young. The boxes mimic the structure of natural tree cavities and can provide more reliable housing than traditional, hand-made perches or other man-made nesting structures.

To encourage kestrels to use the box, it is important to mount it in an open area where the box opening can be easily viewed. yến sào nest vui make ideal mounting substrates, but trees can also be used (again with permission from the property owner). Keeping the box open for approach is vital, and you should try to keep it within 10-30 feet of the ground with the entrance facing southeast.

The frequency and intensity of monitoring a nest box can have significant effects on occupancy rates. Frequent visits (1-7 d intervals) throughout the breeding season resulted in higher kestrel occupancy rates than either shorter or more frequent observations.

Aside from promoting the population of the bird, kestrel nest boxes are of benefit to farmers and vineyard owners in our watershed. These predatory birds can help control the population of invasive rodents and other pests by attracting them to human-altered habitats and disrupting their natural behavioral patterns.

Anecdotally, Martinico has heard from winegrape growers who credit the presence of a kestrel in their vineyard with reducing crop losses from grape-eating birds. For this reason, the Raritan Headwaters Kestrel Partnership is seeking interested landowners on agricultural lands and vineyards to host nesting boxes on their properties.

To promote the Kestrel Land Trust's Nest Box Program, we have created a new e-book with detailed information and tips for building a kestrel nest box. The e-book is available here: The Kestrel Nest Box Manual.

We have more than 100 kestrel nest boxes on our land and are continuing to add them. On average, the kestrels who utilize our nest boxes produce 4.2 fledglings per brood. This is a much higher proportion of fledglings than the average for kestrels nesting naturally in trees or other man-made nests.

To help understand what factors are influencing the birds, Hawk Mountain conducts a yearly survey of kestrel activity at its nest boxes. This work involves monitoring the locations of the boxes, observing kestrels for signs of activity, and collecting a small feather sample from the fledglings for a genetic study. tổ yến rút lông 100g are collected by college undergraduate field experience interns, who gain hands-on skills in conservation science research while helping the Sanctuary reach its goal of supporting a healthy kestrel population in the region.
Here's my website: https://nestvui.com/