I remember those boxes during their heyday, too. It was pretty cool to see a
kestrel or two by each one, and I think a lot of youngsters were raised in
those boxes while they were productive. It seems likely that those massive
reclaimed strip mine grasslands, such as at and around the Wilds, have a
tremendous potential to become "source" sites for American Kestrels. The
problem is, there is very little in the way of suitable cavities for nesting
in these habitats.

Incredibly, there is something on the order of 250,000 acres - an area the
size of Hamilton County - of those Wilds-like grasslands scattered
throughout southeastern Ohio. Can you imagine if kestrel boxes were
scattered throughout these grasslands?! I imagine we'd see a big spike in
breeding kestrel populations, at least locally. Too bad Dick Tuttle, nestbox
builder extraordinaire, can't be cloned!

Jim McCormac
Columbus, Ohio

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Haskins [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2007 9:44 AM
To: Jim McCormac
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] some thoughts on Kestrel populations

Some very un-scientific observations.

Several years ago on International Road in front of the Wilds there were
several Kestrel nesting boxes installed, maybe 5 or 6.

One winter every single one had a pair in them, except for one that was
occupied by honey bees.

Now most if not all of these boxes have rotted away.

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