Kestrel nest on camera at wildlife refuge

This spring the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge introduced the Kestrel Cam which looks inside a nest box occupied by an American kestrel. The nest box located behind the refuge office was wired with a small camera to provide live images of the birds which have successfully used the box for many years. The kestrels now have three eggs which both the female and male have been incubating for about two weeks. Kestrels lay three to five eggs which hatch in 29-31 days. Young will fledge in 30-31 days after hatching.

A member of the falcon family, the American kestrel is closely related to the peregrine falcon and merlin. Some know it as a "sparrow hawk" so named because of its small size. The majority of the kestrel's diet consists of insects and small mammals, keeping those populations in check. In the early and mid-1900s, American kestrel populations declined in many parts of North America as a result of the loss of nesting habitat in the form of tree and other natural cavities, similar to the plight of wood ducks and blue birds. Artificial nest boxes supplement natural nest sites.

Live images can be viewed at the refuge office at 1101 Casey Road, Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the refuge website http://iroquoisnwr.fws.gov to see stills which are uploaded throughout the day. For information contact 585-948-5445.

May 27, 2007