I plan in the next week to put up 4 nest boxes. In the area I, live in I have only seen 1 Kestel in 20 years. Would it be a waste to put up boxes in pasture lands here? Or should I go to southern georgia (Jefferson County) and put boxes up there. Kestels are much more common there. Also I suppose I need permission to put a box on a phone pole, how doI get that. And finally are there any members in the Georgia area that can provide more specific sugggestions?
Thanks for you help.
Mitch
Hi Mitch -
If you aren't seeing kestrels in the area you live, putting up boxes there is unlikely to attract them. It wouldn't be a waste to install them in your area even if they go unoccupied, because data from these empty boxes would document the lack of kestrels in your area. The ideal situation from our perspective would be if you installed boxes in both areas you mention, as this would allow for comparisons between the two regions, but you should stick to whatever you're able to consistently and comfortably monitor.
To install boxes on utility poles, you'll need to directly contact your local utility company to request permission. A few of our partners discussed this in another forum topic a few years ago and report that they've had varying success, but it's certainly worth asking the question.
We currently have just one other active partner in Georgia; they have a single box in the far northern region of the state. The nearest partners with larger networks are one in northern Florida, one in central South Carolina, and one in Alabama. (The Florida partner also chimed in on the utiliy question we linked earlier.) We'd be happy to connect you with any of these folks if you would like.
Thanks for reaching out, and we look forward to working with you in kestrel conservation!
Matthew
AKP Staff