**Please note that this is a virtual event. We will be closing registration at noon on April 3 so that we can the Zoom link to participants in time. If you would like to register after that, you can email Eleanor at eharris@cliftoninstitute.org but there is a chance we won’t see it in time for the live program. We will send out a link to a recording in a couple in case you aren’t able to make it.**

American Kestrels are North America’s smallest falcon and one of our most charismatic birds of prey. Unfortunately, they are experiencing precipitous declines across the country. Despite their popularity and wide geographic range, relatively little is known about how to manage land to support breeding kestrels. In 2021 we started a long-term research project to track American Kestrels breeding in northern Virginia. For the last four summers, we have attached GPS transmitters to adult kestrels to see what kinds of fields they forage in when they’re hunting for food to feed their babies. Over time we have added other aspects to the project, measuring the vegetation, surveying for rodents, and counting dragonflies in their home ranges. We are still working to collect data, but we have enough information now to be able to draw some conclusions about their habitat requirements.

In this Zoom presentation, Co-Director Bert Harris, Ph.D., will share what we’ve learned about kestrels so far and where we’re going next.