Nature Done Wright

By Liam Conroy
Celery Farm Volunteer

During the pandemic, a few of us volunteers put up a nesting box for American Kestrels in the field near the Butterfly Garden.

Bill Zitelli built the nest box to Cornell Lab of Ornithology specs last summer and donated it to the Celery Farm. (Thank you, Mr. Zitelli!)

After Bruce Davis put a couple of coats of shellac on the roof to make it more weather-resistant, Fred Weber dug a hole in the field, and then he, Jim Wright and I attached the nest box to a pole more than 10 feet long, added wood chips for nesting material, and then hoisted the nest box into place.

We put the nest box so high off the ground to make it tougher for predators like raccoons and skunks to gain access. Mr. Weber added the aluminum band around the pole for the same reason.

The American Kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America.
The last sighting in the Celery Farm was on Jan. 10 — and they are not seen that often here.

We hope the next one discovers the nest box, finds a mate and sticks around.

The birds like to nest in open grasslands and meadows, and that's why we chose to put the nest box in an open field.

The American Kestrel is a species of special concern in New Jersey. You can read more on Conserve Wildlife Foundation's website, here. (Pix by Mr. Wright)