OOS is partnering with The Wilds and with AEP to place nest boxes and raptor perches on The Wilds and on AEP ReCreation Lands in Muskingum, Noble, and surrounding counties.

Representatives of the OOS Conservation Committee visited The Wilds Friday March 28 to flag locations for twenty kestrel boxes and to mark locations for ten raptor perches. Jim McCormac, OOS President, Cheryl Harner, Tom Bain, and Jackie Brown met with Dave Dingey with AEP, and Al Parker with The Wilds, Friday. Member Craig Rieker is manufacturing boxes for the purpose. The boxes will be mounted on recycled utility poles by AEP's Dave Dingey and his crew. Thanks AEP. Thanks to The Wilds for access, for help and guidance, and for the great birding opportunities they provide for the Ohio birding community.

The American Kestrel remains a common bird, our most colorful and easily seen raptor along roadsides, often on utility wires and small tree-tips in openings. But, kestrels are declining for reasons poorly understood. One important reason is the decrease in nesting cavities in or near open spaces. Kestrels are obligate secondary cavity nesters. They need to use a cavity excavated by another species. Nest boxes work just as well as natural cavities, or better.

Learn about kestrels, see Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's summary here:
http://hawkmountain.org/media/kestrelCSR_June07.pdf

From the summary,
"Overall, the data suggest substantial declines in populations of American Kestrels
across much of North America, and consequently strong cause for conservation concern.
A gradient from east to west is apparent in trend estimates for northeastern North
America, with stronger declines occurring at coastal watchsites.

See photos of our trip here:
www.ohiogeologyandbiodiversity.blogspot.com