Conservation Commission Past Events

The Cornish Conservation Commission was pleased to host a Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Raptor program on Sunday afternoon, April 28 at the Cornish Town Hall.

About 40 attendees, which included a nice range of ages, enjoyed Lexie Smith, an AmeriCorps Environmental Educator, describing the habits, needs and hunting prowess of the kestrel—the smallest and most colorful of our falcons.

VINS volunteer and Cornish resident Jennifer Maars assisted Lexie by presenting Ferrisberg, a male American Kestrel, to the delight of the audience.

The American kestrel species is experiencing steep declines in population due to loss of habitat (they need 5-acre fields, or greater for hunting large insect prey and small mammals), and loss of enough nesting roosts (in tree cavities) near food sources, pesticide use on land impacting their prey, and hazards encountered on migratory routes.

Kestrels are considered to be the farmers’ friend for the amount of unwanted insects they can consume. We can help to slow the decline of this important bird by placing kestrel nesting boxes in appropriate habitat, reducing pesticide use, and coordinating field mowing with fledging of young birds (late July, preferably August).

For a free kestrel box, apply here: https://vinsweb.org/american-kestrel-nest-box-application/