Sign in

Matt Giovanni

Generally, yes. 5 eggs usually hatch asynchronously over 2-3 days, but if the female began incubating the first egg immediately, the eggs would probably hatch asynchronously over a much longer period of time, creating larger age differences among then nestlings. So postponing incubation until the full clutch of eggs is laid might be an evolutionary adaption that minimizes asynchronous hatching and consequent nestling competition and mortality. Great question!

(22 days ago)

First name: 
Last name: 
City: 
State or Province: 
Country: 
Describe yourself - Check all boxes that apply to you: 
Are you banding nestling and/or adult kestrels?: 
What most interests you about kestrels?: Demographics/population biology
Biography: 

2011-2013, Research Biologist and Director of the American Kestrel Partnership, The Peregrine Fund

2010, Visiting Research Fellow, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).  Supervised by Stephen Davis, Canadian Wildlife Service, Northern and Prairie Region, Environment Canada.  Research topic: model occupancy and abundance of bird species in relation to grassland management and habitat in southern Canada.

2009, Ph.D., Applied Ecology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Advised by Larkin Powell, School of Natural Resources, and Walter Schacht, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture.  Research topic: demographics of Sturnella meadowlarks and other grassland passerines in the Nebraska Sandhills.

2005, M.Sc., Wildlife Science, Texas Tech University.  Advised by Clint Boal, Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Department of Natural Resources Management.  Research topic: diet and demographics of nesting Ferruginous Hawks and
Swainson's Hawks in the short-grass prairie of Texas, New Mexico, and
Oklahoma.

2001, B.Sc., Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Advised by Robert Bell, Douglas Post (1938-2011), and Robert Rosenfield, Department of Biology.

Message board

  • Kristin Hall Audubon MN
    Kristin Hall Audubon MN 73 days ago

    Hi Matt happy spring. We are featuring our participation in the American Kestrel Partnership on our website as a conservation success story. I hope this generates some additional buzz for you from the midwest. http://mn.audubon.org/american-kestrel-nest-box-success

  • Tom Sayers
    Tom Sayers 84 days ago

    Hi Matt- Last year was a pilot year. We only tagged 4 birds to check out which harness configuration was best and, given the various topographies we were dealing with, what the real-life range of the radio signals were. We accumulated some data on immediate post fledging behavior (peer/peer interactions, adult/sibling interactions, flight development, hunting strategy development over time etc.) as well as ranging distances from the natal site over time. Alot of this has already been well documented by Smallwood, Varland and others, so nothing really new there. Just affirmation that the patterns are similar in our area. What we weren't able to assess was post fledging dispersal routes/patterns from the natal area. Our N was just too small. I have been collaborating with JF and others at Hawk Mountain and they had similar experiences this past season. The University of Connecticut has shown great interest in my project over time. This season one of their honors students will be doing her honors thesis work on AK post fledging dispersal with the birds in my project. We will put out 12 radios this year. The student's primary focus will not be the study of immediate post fledging behaviors (although that will be documented) The primary focus will be to follow the birds once the leave the area and begin to more wideley disperse. We have NO idea where these fledglings go once they leave. Data on this will be very helpful in making future decisions about land management, future nestbox placements, etc.

  • Bruce J. Mincher
    Bruce J. Mincher 104 days ago

    Matt, I found a recent paper in ES&T about flame retardant compounds in UK raptors. It refers to one about kestrels and I have ordered a copy through interlibrary loan. perhaps you are already familiar with it. However the fact that its measurable doesn't automatically make it a problem, but certainly worth thinking about. Also, I want to attach a photo of the box in the Charlie Brown tree. How do I send you attachments such as this paper and photo?..Bruce

  • Joseph Gubanyi
    Joseph Gubanyi 109 days ago

    Matt,
    My class and I are shooting for 50 nest boxes that will place thorughout Seward County. I used the Kestrel Partnership template letter to request support from Menards in Lincoln. I plan to go into Lincoln on Thursday and meet with the Menards management to request discounts and/or donation. I will let you know how that comes out. I have 3 students working on this for their semester research project and another 6 or so from another class who will help with the project for their ornithology service project. We built three boxes last week to establish a protocol. Our goal is to have the boxes out before spring break (March 8). Joe

  • Wazi Oshki
    Wazi Oshki 110 days ago

    Hi Matt,
    Our three Kestrel boxes were put up about a week ago. I have registered all three. They are at corners of our land just north of the Nebraska Sandhills in north-central Nebraska.
    Is there a way of posting pictures of them? They are all located among trees on the edge of meadows/fields.
    Just a brief word on our login name of Wazi Oshki. That is a short Lakota phrase meaning something like rolling land with trees and not good for agriculture. It actually is a combination of virgin prairie and canyon-land. We can only put up three boxes and still have all of them half a mile apart.
    Mel

  • AnthonyH
    AnthonyH 110 days ago

    Hi Matt - Thanks for the sources for B-Cs; I'll be going that route I expect. The NOHA was caught in a 30 mm mist net, chasing a Flicker ! Not the white-rumped bird I expected on that net check ! Anthony

  • hwy385
    hwy385 111 days ago

    Matt: Yep I was admiring their cams last week. I will have to get creative to find some way to put in a second box. Haven't ruled it out. We are impressed with all of the people interested in Kestrels!

  • Jim B.
    Jim B. 111 days ago

    Hi Matt, We were in Boise last weekend. I bought the nest box at the Birds of Prey Center; I carried it on the plane back to San Diego. I got lots of questions about it...made for a fun trip. I mounted it this past Friday. We have not seen any Kestrels in our area. Although, from everything we have read, this is prime territory for them, and they are considered a local year round resident of San Diego County. We will monitor our Box and keep you posted.

    Jim

  • Karen Kamstra
    Karen Kamstra 118 days ago

    Hello Matt, thanks for the welcome! Kestrels in our area have been on the decline for over 15 years :-( On the high note we have kestrels nesting in one area and are doing very well. We have two different pairs that have moved into old buildings and have called this place home. For the last 7 years, they have raised 7 clutchs of 3 fledglings each, grand total of 42 kestrels :-) We actually refer to kestrels as "small but mighty" If you ever get to see them chasing an eagle or a red tailed hawk then you get the "Brawny"
    Cheers
    Karen

  • Jill from MN
    Jill from MN 119 days ago

    Hello, Matt! Thank you for following me. I am from Minneapolis, MN. I think I might have a story of a female kestrel in the city, poor little gal...

View all

Activity

The Wire

  • Matt Giovanni

    By Matt Giovanni 22 days ago
    Generally, yes. 5 eggs usually hatch asynchronously over 2-3 days, but if the female began incubating the first egg immediately, the eggs would probably hatch asynchronously over a much longer period of time, creating larger age differences among then nestlings. So postponing incubation until the full clutch of eggs is laid might be an evolutionary adaption that minimizes asynchronous hatching and consequent nestling competition and mortality. Great question!
  • Matt Giovanni

    By Matt Giovanni 23 days ago
    It's possible but not probable. Biologists have been monitoring kestrel boxes and banding nestlings at thousands of boxes over many decades and there's no data suggesting that kestrels are on average intolerant of these research activities to the extent that they abandon nest sites in subsequent years. Julie Heath and the late Al Dufty at Boise State U had and have grad students studying effects of disturbance on stress hormones levels so you might dig up some of that reading. Most biologists with long-term monitoring programs observe the opposite; that kestrels are relatively resilient and exhibit high rates of nest fidelity despite research activities.
  • Matt Giovanni

    By Matt Giovanni 27 days ago
    Not live yet, perhaps this week!
  • Matt Giovanni

    By Matt Giovanni 63 days ago
    Here's a great opportunity to help the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative establish their kestrel box program! http://www.gofundme.com/292teo
More wire posts

Files

More files
Powered by Elgg