Banding season has started as the American Kestrel chicks in the NCWAS’s Kestrel Nest Box Survey Project reach the appropriate age for banding – optimally between 14-24 days old. Through the banding effort, we hope to understand more about the survivorship of the young kestrels produced in our 2,000-square-mile study area, learn where they disperse, learn about their longevity, and see if surviving young birds are incorporated into the local population.
Today 45 chicks were banded by project leader Kent Woodruff with help from NCWAS members DJ Jones, Jen Fisher, Mike Sorensen, and Marilyn Hedges.
This is the second year Kestrels have been banded in this project area. Each chick receives a numbered metal band on its right leg and a colored band for easier ID at a distance on its left leg. Blue was used for the colored bands in 2025 and black for 2026. Bird observers are encouraged to look for and report any Kestrels with colored leg bands. To date, one bird banded in 2025 as a chick was observed in the same project area in 2026 as a first-year adult.
