I did not have a lot of luck with attracting predatory birds where I lived previously. But in my new home I have spotted a mating pair of Krestels, so I think I have a better chance at attracting them here in this more rural landscape. I have seen two hanging out on some power lines, so we picked a spot near by to put up a post and attach the Kestel house I brought with me from my previous home.
Krestels are the smallest of prey birds, so their homes can be pretty small compared to hawks and such. They are excellent at keeping the rodent population down and will even go after other birds. I think that is a good thing to have, as the birds can feed on my fruits and veggies along with seeds I put down in the fields.
We cemented a 6x6 pole like I did with the previous project of the hawk platform. But this time it is not as tall, because I can use the metal pole to get it up really high once installed. We raise it by hand and then by tightening the bolts of the clamps its held into place.
My foreman firing up the chainsaw its time to cut the 6x6 post. We could use the sawzall but the chainsaw makes quicker work of it.
Using a ladder my foreman climbs up and makes the cut about eight feet up. Got a picture right as he cut through it... timber!
With the post cut to size, as far as we can comfortably raise the Kestrel house.
Using clamps its held in place in two spots. The placement of the bird house is overlooking a large field, and the back of the house is forest.
We had to notch out the 6x6 to fit these smaller clamps, but in the end we got them to fit.
With it up high its ready to attract some birds next spring, right now its the winter and they should already have homes. But when the spring comes around next year they may look for new homes and I hope they like the one I built for them.
Hopefully the notches do not put too much pressure on the post. Otherwise I may need to put up another one and use much longer brackets. These were 6 or 7 inches so it would seem a much larger one is needed if I want to use the whole 6x6 post.
With it up we now leave it be and hope for the best. My foreman took a picture of me next to it. The gnats were really bad the day we put it up so I am wearing my mosquito netting, it helps a lot to keep them at bay. I have tried wearing safety glasses but those damn gnats still get under and sometimes end up in my eyes. So finding a solution to them is quite nice even if it requires me to put a net bag over my head... lol
