PROTECT THE AMERICAN KESTREL
In the past 50 years, 73% of America's smallest falcons have disappeared from the Mid-Atlantic where they were once abundant.
While Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, and other once-threatened raptors have made remarkable recoveries, the American Kestrel is still waiting for its comeback.
One nest box in the right field can give a kestrel pair the chance to raise a family safely and improve our region's ability to support a healthy kestrel population.
In 2025-our first season-the Old Rag Master Naturalist (ORMN) chapter fledged 92 young falcons from 91 boxes. In 2026, we increased these outcomes and are awaiting the data.
For 2027 we are taking this initiative to scale by adding 80 more boxes to our network for a total of over 170 nest sites. These boxes in Madison, Culpeper, Greene, Orange, Rappahannock, and Fauquier counties are part of a larger regional network of more than 550 kestrel nest boxes managed by allied conservation organizations.
31
Kestrel Pairs
92
Fledglings
91
Nesting Boxes
65
Regional Farms
About the Piedmont Kestrel Conservation Corridor Project
The Piedmont Kestrel Conservation Corridor (PKCC) project is led by the Old Rag Master Naturalists to expand and link regional resources that protect the habitat of the American Kestrel, reverse kestrel population decline, and promote biodiversity in the region.
The Problem
The USGS Breeding Bird Survey estimates that the American Kestrel population has declined by as much as 93% in the Mid-Atlantic and 73% in the Piedmont since the 1960's.
This iconic, once ubiquitous falcon relies on empty tree cavities to nest. Land development and management practices have robbed kestrels of these spaces for their nests and hunting grounds to feed themselves and their families. and threatened their future.
However, they will adopt well-placed nest boxes -- so we have a chance to help this declining species
