Brendan O’Connor, the Southwest Regional Volunteer Coordinator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) led a group of local volunteers, which included students from an Odessa private school in building some rather large birdhouses at the Chinsegut Conservation Center last week.
In 2009, the FWC initiated a nest box monitoring program in north-central Florida to expand nesting opportunities for Southeastern American Kestrels (SEAK).
O’Connor explained the history of this project and its importance, “The Southeastern American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America. It is a year round resident in Florida, and was designated as a threatened species due to habitat loss and fragmented populations. The Kestrel is a secondary cavity nester, meaning that it uses cavities created by other species such as woodpeckers. A species action plan was prepared for the (Kestrel) to identify ways to improve its conservation status. One action identified is to ‘install, maintain and monitor kestrel populations on public and privately owned lands.’ With over 600 monitoring boxes spread across peninsular Florida, citizen scientists play an integral part.”
The boxes built by last week’s volunteers will be placed throughout the state. “We will replace boxes that have deteriorated due to weather exposure, and also install new boxes on properties that have suitable habitat available for the kestrel species,” O’Connor explained.
It is difficult to distinguish between the Southeastern American Kestrel subspecies and its migratory northern counterpart. The FWC advises,“ If a kestrel is seen in Florida from May through July, it is almost certainly a Southeastern American Kestrel because the northern migrants are not present during this time.” Citizens can report sightings of breeding kestrels to the FWC at https://public.myfwc.com/FWRI/RareUpland/GetLatLong.aspx?id=AKM
They ask citizens to only report sightings that occurred between May 1 and July 31, the breeding season for the Southeastern American Kestrel.
If you hear a high-pitched call of “klee-klee-klee” or “killy-killy-killy,” chances are it is an American Kestrel. The call is frequently given while the falcon is in flight. Be sure to look for this beautiful bird which is described to be less than graceful in flight. National Geographic states their flight is “almost erratic,” and says the “light, bouncy flight is usually not direct and purposeful—often with “twitches” or hesitation. ”
For more information about the Southeastern American Kestrel, and how landowners can build nest boxes go to: http:// myfwc.com/research/wildlife/birds/southeastern-american-kestrel/nest-boxes/