Attaching Kestrel nesting box to a tree

[moss]

On Saturday I'm going to be installing a nesting box intended for a Kestrel (small falcon species) in an Eastern Cottonwood around 25-30 ft. off the ground. I've assessed the tree and it is sound. I'll be climbing up rope and harness (I'm an experienced climber), rig the box up (it's fairly large) and attach it. One of the requirements is that the box be set level so I'm thinking I'll use two (or 4) lag bolts screwed into pre-drilled holes in the tree to hold the box and adjust the level. I'm also thinking that I'll leave some space between the box and the tree to allow for growth. I'll be monitoring and maintaining the box for as long as it's on the tree.

Any comments or suggestions? Is galvanized good enough or should I use stainless bolts? Any pro or cons there as far as affecting the health of the tree? Any alternate non-invasive attachment methods to suggest?

Thanks,
-moss

 

[lxt]

Moss, how about straps with ratchet binders, might be less invasive & you can always slacken em up!!! just a thought!!

good luck & be safe!!


LXT..........

 

[D Mc]

Moss, sounds like a fun project. Kestrels, particularly a full brood of Kestrels, are a rowdy bunch. I would use galvanized lag bolts. Positioning for exposure, they prefer east, morning sun but you need to take into consideration where your storms come from. You don't want the opening exposed to the brunt of the storm.

In the greater scheme of things, the tree won't even notice the lag bolts. Stability for the nest should be a primary objective.

D Mc

 

[moss]

Good comments, east or southeast facing it will be. We get storms from the east/northeast but west and southwest will be more common during the nesting season.
Thanks,
-moss

 

[M.D. Vaden]

On Saturday I'm going to be installing a nesting box intended for a Kestrel (small falcon species) in an Eastern Cottonwood around 25-30 ft. off the ground. I've assessed the tree and it is sound. I'll be climbing up rope and harness (I'm an experienced climber), rig the box up (it's fairly large) and attach it. One of the requirements is that the box be set level so I'm thinking I'll use two (or 4) lag bolts screwed into pre-drilled holes in the tree to hold the box and adjust the level. I'm also thinking that I'll leave some space between the box and the tree to allow for growth. I'll be monitoring and maintaining the box for as long as it's on the tree.

Any comments or suggestions? Is galvanized good enough or should I use stainless bolts? Any pro or cons there as far as affecting the health of the tree? Any alternate non-invasive attachment methods to suggest?

Thanks,
-moss

One thing that comes to mind is possible heat.

I remember this bird that nested on my extra lumber, just underneath the galvanized metal roof. Weeks of clouds happened. Then I came home on the first sunny day, and noticed the parent bird panting with it's head an inch below the metal. So I layed a sheet of plywood on top of the metal until the babies grew and they all left.

Will the box have enough shade or insulation from heat? It's going to be thinner than a thick tree trunk.

Seems unlikely that the bird will put it's tongue on the hardware, but if you think it's possible, maybe consider stainless steel.

We have parrots, and for parrots, cockatiels, etc., galvanized metal can't be used for their perches: washers, links to hang toys, screws, etc.. We have a whole box of stainless steel hanger bolts, washers and screws, because zinc can be quite toxic to birds.

Not sure about outdoor birds, but cedar is not as good as pine for pet birds.

Sounds like a cool project.

 

[moss]

One thing that comes to mind is possible heat.

Will the box have enough shade or insulation from heat? It's going to be thinner than a thick tree trunk.

Seems unlikely that the bird will put it's tongue on the hardware, but if you think it's possible, maybe consider stainless steel.

We have parrots, and for parrots, cockatiels, etc., galvanized metal can't be used for their perches: washers, links to hang toys, screws, etc.. We have a whole box of stainless steel hanger bolts, washers and screws, because zinc can be quite toxic to birds.

Good point about zinc, I think for caged birds their exposure is going to be much longer if there is zinc in the environment. If I use galvanized I'll make sure the hardware is recessed or covered inside the box.

The box will be in a deciduous tree on a thick trunk facing east so the idea is it gets low morning sun to warm the box up and then is sheltered by the trunk and the canopy for the rest of the day.

I haven't looked at the box yet but I think it's made with 1" white pine.
-moss

 

[D Mc]

Good point, Mario, about the galvanized but galvanized is used extensively in outdoor bird box building. Recessing the bolts is a good idea though anyway. I really think the main toxicity problem with parrots is that they use their beak as a third hand (virtually) as they are constantly using it to grab on to something.

D Mc

 

[Ed*L]

Definately use Stainless lags!
I recently removed a Wood Duck box that had been in a Elm tree for about 10 years. The stainless lags unscrewed with no problem! Galvanized will last for a while, but in no way will the compare to the lifespan of stainless.

Ed

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Good point, Mario, about the galvanized but galvanized is used extensively in outdoor bird box building. Recessing the bolts is a good idea though anyway. I really think the main toxicity problem with parrots is that they use their beak as a third hand (virtually) as they are constantly using it to grab on to something.

D Mc

That's probably the way it is.

Pet parrots look for stuff to keep busy, and tinker with whatever is within reach. It's amazing how much trouble they can get into. Every piece of hardware in their cage has to be fastened to not come apart, not be zinc, and not provide any kind of hook shape that can snag the underside of their chin.

My wife saw a show on television, mentioning a man's pair of cockatoos that got out of their cage or something like that, and dismantled the hardware on his garage door. If I remember this right, the cockatoos not only disassembled it, but they sorted or stacked the nuts, washers, etc.. according to type.

This bird is Gizmo - he's my bird. Or he think's I'm his person is more like it:

And this is Pukana - one of my wife's 3 birds.

He's playing with the ball on the floor. They are like feathered kids.

 

[moss]

Nest box installed

I put the box in yesterday (Friday). Everything went fine, the box is on solid as a rock. As it turns out the attachment points are outside the interior so there's no issue with exposure to the bolt heads. I ended up using regular steel lags, had some time constraints so I had to go with what was available at the local hardware. If we get nesting success I'll be cleaning out the box after they finish and I'll have the opportunity to replace with stainless.

A friend on the ground eyeballed it for me to help get it vertically/side-to-side level. Next time I'll bring a small level up with me. It's impossible to it level from within the tree by eye.

Thanks for all the advice,
-moss

Graffiti backdrop to throwing

Rig it up

Positioning the opening facing east

Securely installed

Mission accomplished, de-rig

 

[okietreedude1]

What are you doing/using to attract the kestrels?

I read in a recent newspaper article they prey on pigeons and a place Ive got a contract w/ has a pigeon problem. I thought of them needing a pair or 10 of the kestrels but I wouldnt know how to go about attracting them.

Also, where did you get the box plans?

 

[moss]

What are you doing/using to attract the kestrels?

I read in a recent newspaper article they prey on pigeons and a place Ive got a contract w/ has a pigeon problem. I thought of them needing a pair or 10 of the kestrels but I wouldnt know how to go about attracting them.

Also, where did you get the box plans?

We picked the site based on good small rodent and small bird presence in the surrounding swamp and meadow and because every spring we see kestrels hanging around hunting. If they see the nesting box they might stick around and nest.

The box was purchased from Massachusetts Audubon. If you Google "nest box plans" you'll find what you're looking for.

Kestrels aren't hefty enough to take a pigeon but they do feast on house sparrows. Peregrine Falcon is the one that hunts pigeons, Cooper's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk take them too.

Check with your local Audubon society chapter to see what raptors are native to your area that prey on pigeons, then you can see what can be done to encourage them. I'll guarantee that your local raptors already know the pigeons are there and are working on them. The thing is, pigeons are highly adapted to escape from raptor attack so they'll still maintain their populations even with a heavy raptor presence.

Here's another thing to consider. Recent studies are showing that all and I mean all large pigeon populations in cities and towns are there because there are obsessive human pigeon feeders dumping seed and bread every day. It's well documented. There's even been a psychological profile developed, it's usually lonely or isolated elderly people who devote a lot of time and energy to feeding "their" pigeons. When pigeons are regularly fed large amounts of food their breeding rates explode exponentially. A normal wild bird will nest once a year and if food is plentiful will nest twice a year or "double brood". City and town pigeons that are being fed on the street and in parks will brood up to and more than 8 times a year! It's completely food supply regulated. Not that you have the time but if you went to your client's property and observed their pigeon flock for an hour or so you would find out what the story is on their food supply. It's very difficult to stop people from feeding pigeons, they become emotionally wrapped up in it and are very resistant to stopping even when laws are passed against it.
-moss

 

[M.D. Vaden]

That's some fairly beefy wood.

It could last for years even without paint or treatment.

Amazing how them birds can squeeze into the openings.

 

[treeseer]

Amazing how them birds can squeeze into the openings.

It sure is!

Audubon is a great group; I spoke at one of their meetings last fall and have gotten 4 very nice jobs out of it.

 

[okietreedude1]

Moss,

The place w/ the pigeons is out in the country. Its an industrial plant.

The pigeons rely simply on what they can find in the wild. however, there is several wheat fields surrounding the area as well as a train track which is pretty heavily used.

I gaurantee they dont feed them little terds.

Thanks for the additional info!

 

[moss]

Moss,

The place w/ the pigeons is out in the country. Its an industrial plant.

The pigeons rely simply on what they can find in the wild. however, there is several wheat fields surrounding the area as well as a train track which is pretty heavily used.

I gaurantee they dont feed them little terds.

Thanks for the additional info!

Ha ha! That's interesting, I wonder what the main food supply is, wild food usually isn't enough for them otherwise you'd see them everywhere out in the woods and fields. Maybe there''s enough waste in the wheat fields so they can feed year 'round. If it's an industrial facility with any height or towers then it could be a prime location to put in a peregrine nesting box. Usually you have to introduce juvenile peregrines to get it started through a peregrine breeding program. They are cliff nesters but like high industrial structures. If you're interested you could check with your state wildlife people and see if they have a peregrine nesting program. Putting an active peregrine nest in that spot would be like putting a cat in a barn, things would change fast for the pigeons.
-moss

 

[Tom Crosthwaite]

Hats off to you. There should be more arborists offering this service. Deadwooding might make trees safer, but it removes so much habitat. Check out our nesting boxes here