Mariton: New Nest Box

by Tim Burris, Preserve Manager

Kestrel box with bat box in the background

If you are up in the meadows you may notice a new addition. Last week, Josh and I put up a new Kestrel nesting box at Mariton. We used a dead Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) for the post. I keep track of locations of these trees as they eventually get shaded out in the forest, and are very rot resistant.  We kept the post above the box to provide a perch for hunting.

Josh setting the post.

We used the truck and a ladder to install the box and a baffle.

Kestrels were called “sparrow hawks” in the past, but they also feed on a lot of insects.  If a pair settles into the nest box, they should be able to find lots of food in the meadows.