Keeping Company With Kestrels
Part of our Spring Fling Celebration
Joey Mason will share her extensive research and experiences with American Kestrels in southeastern Massachusetts during the past 25 years. She will present evidence about what these raptors eat and why they often nest in cranberry bog habitats. Kestrels have many interesting adaptations to survive in the wild, but it hasn't been enough to prevent them from declining in Massachusetts. Joey will provide insight and speculation on
why this may be happening. Live birds will be present. Take a look at www.keepingcompanywithkestrels.org to learn more.
Program Details:
- Date Thursday May 14
- Time 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Cost $5 at the door, Free with Spring Fling Ticket
- Location Get Outside Center, 186 Main Street, Gloucester, Ma 01930
This event is free for Kestrel members.
About Joanne 'Joey' Mason
In the early 1980s Joey got hooked on watching birds of prey during fall
migration after numerous visits to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in
Pennsylvania. In 1985 she learned how to band hawks in Cape May, NJ, where
she continues to band raptors for the Cape May Raptor Banding Project in
the fall. Joey learned much about falcon behavior while working on the
peregrine recovery team for the Colorado Division of Wildlife during the
summers of 1987 and 1988. With the help of Mike Maurer in 1989 she
initiated a nest box project for American Kestrels in southeastern
Massachusetts on cranberry grower-owned properties. Joey has monitored
American Kestrel nest boxes and banded young and adults with U.S. Fish and
Wildlife bands ever since. In 2000, she spearheaded the Raptor Retrofit
Project to prevent osprey electrocutions on privately owned utility poles,
and has been responsible for placement of numerous osprey nesting
platforms. Joey has also worked on better management practices for
landfills, to prevent raptors from getting injured from methane burners.