Richard Hendrick, a local orchard worker and bird enthusiast, began volunteering with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1993 to help expand kestrel populations on the Waterville Plateau.
Over time, the project became his own and remained so until his passing in December 2020. During his tenure, he established a network of more than 250 nest boxes. At his request, the North Central Washington Audubon chapter continued his work in 2021 by monitoring his boxes and adding new ones of our own.
Fires and other natural events destroyed or damaged more than half of Richard’s original kestrel boxes. Since then, we have worked to restore boxes in the area, and as of 2026 more than 40 volunteers monitor 230 kestrel boxes.
We collect data to help establish baseline information on productivity and population trends, supporting future kestrel conservation efforts. Over the 5 years since the start of our program, our boxes have fledged over 1,300 kestrel nestlings and our box locations range over 3 counties (see map of nest box locations).
Click here to view a copy of our 5-year Kestrel data summary
Click here to see female kestrel in one of our nest boxes with her 6-day old chicks.
