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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>Tweeters,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>I received the following request (in quotes) from a professor and friend on the faculty at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. Although she is a marine biologist, she has been very instrumental in projects involving the enticement of kestrels to berry fields through the placement of nest boxes to help control starling populations. I was involved initially with the research and the methods have been quite successful.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>“I have a student, Jane Doe, working on a thesis relating to population levels of the American kestrel in lower mainland of BC and northwest Washington State. Beginning in 2007 there has been quite a bit of TWU-related (Trinity Western University) research on this species in the region. Many undergraduate thesis projects were completed during this time, with nearly a hundred nest boxes placed in the lower mainland and Whatcom County (WA), as well as a couple of dozen boxes in the Okanagan region.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>The long-term project also involved translocation of 21 pre-fledging kestrels from areas of plentiful population in eastern Washington, for release in western Washington under my direction, with appropriate permits.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>In summer 2022- 2024 three more students, including Jane, made observations on an occupied box near Chilliwack.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>Unfortunately, we have not had the resources to keep tabs on overall box occupancy per se, and many boxes have since fallen into disrepair. But we do have some anecdotal reports that overall kestrel numbers in our local agricultural areas have increased in this nearly 20-year period. Some attempts have been made to access citizen science data re AMKE sightings, to see if these numbers [at least indirectly] support the idea of AMKE population increase in the region, but we haven’t gotten very far with that.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>Obviously, we have lots of data, and some ideas about where to go with this project. But we’d love some assistance. Would you be interested in working with Jane and me, to give input and brainstorm on this data set?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>I’m hoping that someone on our list serve may have some information or a resource regarding this request. Any assistance would be appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'>Don Aupperlee, DVM<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:11.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>