Conservation: In cooperation with the National Audubon Society. We have established a Kestrel Nest Box program for Kestrel Heights. The box program has is on a seperate page, with instructions for creating a Kestrel Nest Box. Click here to be taken to that page.
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The name Kestrel Heights comes from one of our first trips up to the top of the property. One afternoon I suggested to my wife, Vicki, that we go up into the property and let it name itself. We had no idea of a name at that point. We drove up to the top, at that time the weeds were good 3-4 feet high and the trail was just mowed enough to drive through. We spent about 20 minutes just walking around and trying to get a sense of the property.
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Nothing was jumping out at us, so we started to drive back down.
At the crest the hill we saw a bird, it was hovering about 30 feet up. I exclaimed that it was a Kestrel! I have raised a few rescue raptors over the years, one of them was a Kestrel that I saw along side a road in Wisconsin. That Kestrel got clipped by a car. Over a weekend, I got the little guy to drink and eat, then turned it over to the Iowa Raptor Center at Lake McBride. To find out more about the Iowa Raptor Project click here.
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That moment, sitting there watching that Kestrel hunt, was exactly what we where looking for. We originally named it Kestrel Ridge, however one of the previous owners suggest Kestrel Heights sounded better and that name stuck!
Kestrel Kill April 2022
That original story of the name was July 2022. We were walking up on the property just last week and came up on the Kestrel hunting again. Although this time he had already made the kill and was just starting to enjoy dinner. We were a good 300 feet away when I took this photo, sorry it is so blurry.
Nature Trails
Walking trails are a wonderful way to connect with nature and your surroundings. We’ve been working in the timber and have cleaning up some trails. We love the beauty, sounds and atmosphere of the timber.
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It’s very common to see several deer bounding through the trees, or a flock of turkeys taking flight. It’s very soothing to listen to the birdsong and hear the chitter-chatter of squirrels as we walk through.
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We are designing several trails for those who will live at Kestrel Heights that will range from an “easy walk in the park” to a “total body workout”. The trails will show you breathtaking views, natural habitats, and remind you that we are only a small part of the circle of life.
Turkey Time
It is the male turkey's, call Toms, time to shine up on the plateau. They are strutting their stuff, trying to impress the females. Male wild turkeys display for females by puffing out their feathers, spreading out their tails and dragging their wings. This behavior is most commonly referred to as strutting. Their heads and necks are colored brilliantly with red, white, and blue. The color can change with the turkey's mood, with a solid white head and neck being the most excited. They use gobbling, drumming/booming and spitting as signs of social dominance, and to attract females.
Courtship in Iowa begins during late March and April, which is when turkeys are still flocked together in winter areas. Males may be seen courting in groups, often with the dominant male gobbling, spreading his tail feathers (strutting), drumming/booming and spitting.
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When mating is finished, females search for nest sites. Nests are shallow dirt depressions engulfed with woody vegetation or in grassy areas. Hens lay a clutch of 10–14 eggs, usually one per day. The eggs are incubated for at least 28 days. The babies are called poults and leave the nest in about 12–24 hours.