Kestrel Nest Cam 2019: Season Two
UPDATE: After much waiting and hoping, our kestrel couple arrived and shortly thereafter we had 5 eggs in the nest. All five eggs hatched but over the course of the first week, we lost one of the chicks (cause unknown). The remaining four chicks grew up strong and have officially left the nest!
We're in the process of compiling a highlight video of season two and we expect to be back in spring of 2020 with season three!
Learn more about the life and death drama of kestrels at our preserve.
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Kestrel History at the Great Salt Lake
For the past eight years, American kestrels have visited the nest box at The Nature Conservancy’s preserve near the Great Salt Lake. Though fairly common across North America, in recent years scientists have reported declines in American kestrel populations. For that reason, kestrels are a welcome sight at the Great Salt Lake and their presence is a strong indicator of the overall health of the surrounding wetland ecosystem.
This nestbox is one of 25 on TNC lands along the Great Salt Lake Shoreline. We partner with HawkWatch International (HWI), whose army of citizen scientists monitor these boxes along with 400+ others in Northern Utah each spring, and have done so since 2013. Our goal is to understand nesting success and survival of kestrels along an urban gradient. HWI scientists also band adult and nestling kestrels to better understand movement, survival, and seasonal population turnover. To learn more visit: www.hawkwatch.org/kestrels
The Nature Conservancy's Role
The Nature Conservancy and its partners are working to protect wetlands along the Great Salt Lake, one of the western hemisphere’s most important stopovers for migrating birds, including American kestrels. Our Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve is a unique system of salt and fresh water marshes, ponds, pools, sloughs and mudflats, providing a rich feeding ground for tens of thousands of migrating birds each year. By improving conditions at the Great Salt Lake, the Nature Conservancy in Utah helps protect nature for kestrels and other wildlife that are indicators of environmental health.
Help Protect Migratory Birds at the Great Salt Lake
Support our work in Utah, including the preservation of migratory bird habitat at the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve, by making a charitable contribution today.
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