BLUEBIRDS & kESTRELS
CROOKED RIVER NATIONAL GRASSLAND NEST BOX TRAIL
Mountain bluebird nest made of juniper bark | Trish Nevan
In a cooperative agreement with United States Forest Service (USFS), Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area installed three American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and six mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) nest boxes on Crooked River National Grassland near Crooked River Ranch in early 2018. All but one of these nest boxes are located on "The Peninsula."
In the past four years, American kestrels, mountain bluebirds, and ash-throated flycatchers have successfully nested in these boxes. We offer guided hikes on the nest box trail in May and June. Participants can help open boxes and record findings.
If you would like to help with National Grassland nest box monitoring in the upcoming nesting season, please contact Diane Randgaard at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com. Whether you are new to birding or a seasoned expert, it would be great to have your help with monitoring the National Grassland Nest Box Trail!
In the past four years, American kestrels, mountain bluebirds, and ash-throated flycatchers have successfully nested in these boxes. We offer guided hikes on the nest box trail in May and June. Participants can help open boxes and record findings.
If you would like to help with National Grassland nest box monitoring in the upcoming nesting season, please contact Diane Randgaard at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com. Whether you are new to birding or a seasoned expert, it would be great to have your help with monitoring the National Grassland Nest Box Trail!
FANs volunteer, Alice, installs American kestrel nest box on a juniper tree in January 2018. | Diane Randgaard
Female mountain bluebird keeps a close eye on humans counting her eggs in a nest box. | Trish Nevan
Male American kestral incubating five eggs.
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Diane counts mountain bluebird eggs in nest box in May 2019. | Trish Nevan
Mountain bluebird eggs and day old hatchling discovered in nest box. | Marilynne Keyser
Hikers check nest boxes on the Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail in May 2019. | Trish Nevan
Sophie opening bluebird nest box in June 2019. | Eric Hanson
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American kestrel eggs found in nest box 2018 nesting season | Diane Randgaard
Ken Hashagen shows young kestrel to group that observed banding in 2018 | Diane Randgaard
Ash-throated flycatcher eggs in May 2020. | Diane Randgaard
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OUR WORK WITH KESTRELS
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Working to Save American Kestrels at Crooked River Ranch
By Karen and Mick Atwood, FANs Nestbox Monitors Working with Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs), we currently monitor 10 American kestrel nest boxes scattered throughout Crooked River Ranch. We are part of a collaborative group, including East Cascades Audubon Society (ECAS) and the American Kestrel Partnership, working to understand the demographics of kestrels as their numbers are declining. Starting in December/January we visit each of the boxes, clean out old nests and fill the boxes with clean cedar chips. In mid-May, we again visit our boxes to check for signs of nesting. We are always hopeful we will find kestrel eggs. There are occasionally other birds using the boxes, usually mountain bluebirds, occasionally northern flickers. We welcome those visitors; however, the European starlings, an invasive bird introduced from England has to go! Some years are bountiful, and we may have 4 to 6 boxes with kestrel eggs. Other years have been a bust. Once we have a box with kestrel eggs, we will follow up about every 2 to 3 weeks, checking the status of the eggs and nestlings. Once they nestlings are between 14 and 21 days old, Ken Hashagen, a bird bander with ECAS, visits the box with us to take measurements, determine gender and band the leg of the chicks. We start all over again in December/January. We love what we do and are happiest when we have success. |
Taken July 5, 2022 at Box 41 on the property of Marilynne and John Keyser. Their box has fledged 21 kestrel chicks since 2010
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