by Debra Marnich
American kestrel chick. Photo: Debra Marnich
A beautiful morning for banding kestrels at Naughtaveel Farm. Click on any photo to enlarge it. Photo: Debra Marnich
Retired NH Fish & Game biologist Steve Wheeler. Photo: Debra Marnich
On June 20 an enthusiastic group of kestrel conservationists joined CLC to band American kestrel nestlings. The program was held at Naughtaveel Farm on West Side Road in North Conway, and co-hosted with Steve Wheeler, retired New Hampshire Fish and Game biologist. We met on-site to check one of the 179 kestrel boxes that he has installed and maintains throughout ten counties in New Hampshire. Steve is a State and Federally licensed bird bander and his passion is American kestrel conservation. He began banding kestrels at the height of their decline in the late 1970s and has not stopped since. Steve’s major interests include the development and implementation of a statewide nest box program designed to enhance and expand the kestrel breeding range throughout key grassland and other ecological communities currently devoid of breeding pairs. He also bands the kestrel adults and nestlings to provide and collect data. Kestrels use secondary cavities in large trees to nest. Natural tree cavities, once plentiful, are virtually non-existent in suitable habitats across the landscape today. Steve’s statewide nesting and banding program is also focused on discovering why the kestrel population continues to decline over the last four decades. Reasons for kestrel decline are not currently clear, but may include loss or degradation of habitat. Degradation of habitat also includes a diminished prey base of large insects such as grasshoppers, which are a staple in the kestrel’s diet.
Mabel Wheeler sharing her and Steve’s adventures in bird banding. Photo: Debra Marnich
We discussed kestrel conservation for quite a while before we checked the nest box. Steve’s wife Mabel shared a photo book of their adventures in banding birds of all sorts, including red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, goshawks, and many other birds of prey. Steve showed us how he bands adult kestrels using several different kestrel banding traps. We also discussed bands and sizing and which bands to use with which species of bird, and how to report a banded bird to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory (more info HERE).
Susan Kunhardt and Steve Wheeler opening a trap used for banding adult kestrels. Photo: Jeanne Marie Maher
Upon checking the nest box on site, we discovered five 18-day-old nestlings, one female and four males. The chicks are born altricial (blind and helpless) and their parents feed and care for them until they are old enough to fledge at a little over a month in age. The chicks in this particular box still had white downy feathers mixed in with new primary feather growth. Each chick was banded and placed back safely in the nesting box to continue their journey to fledging and—soon—migrating further south for the winter.
Kestrel nestling. Photo: Jeanne Marie Maher
As the program came to an end, we discussed the vital importance of conserving and protecting current farmland and open space that is suitable for American kestrels and all other wildlife that are dependent upon it.
Banner image: Kestrel bands. Photo: Debra Marnich