Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s PA Farmland Raptor project is expanding its reach after securing a grant through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to expand the project into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This effort is linking the four farmland raptors (American kestrel, northern harrier, barn owl and short-eared owl) with riparian restoration efforts to increase reach on functional ecosystems. A partnership developed with Stroud Water Research Center, who have been monitoring water quality and establishing riparian buffers since the late 1960’s. What seemed like a potential hurdle turned into an asset when Stroud shared their statistics on vole damage to their tree plantings and landowner concern that incorporating these buffer zones would lead to a rodent population boom—enter the farmland raptor and a perfect partnership is born!

Riparian buffers improve water quality by providing shade to water, but also by acting as a natural filter that limits agricultural runoff from reaching the watershed. At minimum, buffers extend out 35 feet from the stream bank and use a mix of native trees and shrubs to provide both shade and natural filtration. These projects are often significant endeavors for landowners and restoration project managers, as tree saplings need protection and maintenance during establishment. The first three years are when trees are at their most vulnerable and often when vole damage can kill the trees. These early stages provide excellent hunting grounds for farmland raptors, as the small trees provide perch locations to scan the grass for their next meal. As trees mature, they can also provide raptors with a safe place to roost during the winter.

These riparian zones increase biodiversity, as they offer refuge extending through open agricultural landscapes to birds, mammals, and insects during mowing events, which benefits the entire food chain. This project aims to use farmland raptors to track habitat functionality, as presence of raptors indicates a healthy ecosystem. By installing kestrel and barn owl boxes in or near these restoration zones, Hawk Mountain researchers can track use of the area as the buffer matures to see if grassland raptors respond to the modified landscape. Encouraging landowners to use natural pest control and making sure to manage properties with habitat in mind can provide long-reaching benefits to our local wildlife.

To date the team has deployed 63 kestrel and 9 barn owl boxes on properties with buffer projects. With the landowner’s permission, the collaborative team will monitor these boxes for the next two years to determine if they recruit the target species. As of mid-June, 28% of the kestrel boxes were being occupied by nesting kestrels and the team spotted a barn owl roosting in one of the new owl boxes. The quick utilization of these freshly placed nest boxes highlights how important it is to have nesting opportunities in ideal landscapes. June marks the peak of kestrel season, as young are beginning to leave the nest and learn how to hunt for themselves, so the team has been busy in the field banding chicks. Hawk Mountain bands young kestrels about a week before they are expected to fledge and then continues to monitor where they disperse to.

Once out of the nest box, keeping an eye on young farmland raptors can be a challenge. To combat this, the team plans to conduct surveys in the study area year-round to assess how farmland raptors continue to use the riparian locations. This monitoring effort will also rely on community scientists to report their sightings, either on Hawk Mountain’s online portal or through eBird. The team will also be surveying prey species in and adjacent to the riparian zones to compare diversity and availability of prey items. A healthy prey base will recruit a predator, so farmland raptors will hopefully be a litmus for success of conservation efforts in working landscapes.

It will be a busy two year effort for farmland raptors in Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, York counties, as well as the state of Maryland, adjacent to the bay. This project would be a near impossible undertaking without partners, and Hawk Mountain extends its gratitude to Stroud, PA Game Commission, MD Bird Conservation Partnership, Steve Eisenhauer, Zoo America, Hershey Area Raptor Project, and all our landowner hosts!

If you see a box near a restoration zone, scan for our grassland icons and make sure to report your sightings on the project! Click here to learn more about the project, or to report your sightings.