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It’s spring and that means pest season is just around the corner—or maybe it has already arrived where you live. Flies, mosquitoes, mice, rats, gophers, and other pests often wreak havoc on horse properties. As horse owners, we often wrongly believe we are destined to “put up” with pests. Other times, we become so frustrated with the situation that we resort to chemical warfare, potentially adding unnecessary and harmful toxins to the ecosystem. One simple step you can take this Earth Month towards a least-toxic rodent and bug control method is to put up nest boxes to encourage native birds to help with pest control.
Encouraging insect- and rodent-eating birds to move into our yards and barn areas is an excellent low-tech, cost-effective, “green” method for pest control. If the pests you want to check off your list include mice and grasshoppers, you may want to consider hanging a nest box for an American Kestrel.
American Kestrels are secondary cavity nesters, which means they nest in a hole someone else created, usually a woodpecker of some sort. In recent years, secondary cavity nesters have had greater difficulty finding dwellings since snags and dead trees are often removed from properties and are in scarce supply. Supplying a nest box for a Kestrel is a great way to help the local population because they adapt easily to nest boxes; if you build it, they will come!
A member of the falcon family, the American Kestrel is small—about the size of a robin—which is why it used to be called a sparrow hawk. Its primary food source is larger insects, such as grasshoppers and crickets, as well as small mammals such as mice, rats, shrews, gophers, and young ground squirrels. American Kestrels are found year around in a wide variety of open habitats across North America including grasslands, meadows, pastures, and other agricultural lands, in both urban and rural areas.
Any nest box needs to be made specifically for the bird you want to attract. The Peregrine Fund provides free plans for building these boxes yourself, including the recommended shape and hole size. Kestrel nest boxes should be hung 8 to 20 feet off the ground, facing away from the prevailing weather, and in an open area.
Bonus Tip
Find out more about the insect and rodent eating birds and bats of your area by contacting your local Audubon chapter. They usually have knowledgeable members who can help you identify beneficial bird species in your areas which respond to nest boxes.
Local conservation districts, extension offices, or other natural resource agencies are also good resources and can supply handouts on encouraging native wildlife or blueprints for building different types of nest boxes. In addition, wild bird stores often have lots of information and appropriate nest boxes for the birds and bats native to your region. Or you can check your library for books like The Original Birdhouse Book by Don McNeil, The Audubon Birdhouse Book: Building, Placing, and Maintaining Great Homes for Great Birds by Margaret A. Barker, or Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest by Russell Link.
Even though it may still be snowing in many parts of North America, putting up nest boxes now is good preparation for the upcoming nesting season—plus it helps remind us that summer is just around the corner. Stay tuned for more on other birds and other native animals that can help out on your horse property.
