Maine Kestrel Project: Build It and They will Come

The American Kestrel is Maine’s smallest falcon, often seen from roadsides hovering in mid-air while hunting over open fields and farmland. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (MDIFW) is leading a new partnership initiative, the Maine Kestrel Project, to help understand and address the causes of their long-term population decline. We will discuss the collaboration between MDIFW and SRLT to install, maintain, and monitor nest boxes for American Kestrels as well as habitat management techniques to benefit open-habitat raptors and other at-risk grassland species. Presenter Alex van Boer is a contract Raptor Biologist with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and coordinates the Maine Kestrel Project. Tom Aversa is semi-retired which allows him to work to conserve land for Sebasticook Regional Land Trust.  He is a life-long student of all aspects of the natural world with a strong focus on bird behavior, status and distribution.  Tom has co-authored…