Banding Am. Kestrel chicks

Again this summer Ed Pike has been working with Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC), Arnie Pokorzynski, and a couple of individuals with Kestrel nesting boxes. We have been checking nest boxes and when the young are old enough, they are banded with USGS numbered bird bands. LTC has placed nest boxes on their properties in the Petoskey area; Arnie has placed nest boxes in the Alpena area; with a few nest boxes private individuals have placed in their area near Cheboygan and Harbor Springs.

All together 26 nest boxes have found to be used for nesting by Am. Kestrels. A number of other nest boxes were empty or used by Starlings, Tree Swallows and E. Bluebirds. A total of 102 Am. Kestrels have been banded, 2 adults and 100 nestlings. Of the nestlings, 49 were males, 49 were females and 2 were unknown sex (too young to be sexed at time of banding). This ratio should be expected; however there were a few nests with all males or all females; mostly mixed numbers of males and females, making it amazing that the ratio ended up 50-50.

There are a couple of late nests still to be checked and hopefully a few more young banded.

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