Maryland Farmland Raptor Program Resources

The Maryland Farmland Raptor Program installs nest boxes for American Kestrels and American Barn Owls across the state. Below you’ll find resources on nest box construction, siting, and installation, along with other program materials.

Nest box building

*Technical rendering of a kestrel nest box*

The Maryland Farmland Raptor Program uses and recommends the following nest box designs for American Kestrels and American Barn Owls.

Barn owl boxes are designed for either interior installations (e.g., inside barns or silos) or exterior installations (e.g., mounted on buildings or poles in open fields), which require different box designs.

Read more about building farmland raptor nest boxes in Featured News.

Nest Box Plans:

Plan for interior barn owl nest box

Plan for exterior barn owl nest box

Build Videos:

Andy Brown and Alex Pellegrini demonstrate box assembly in the videos below.

Watch American Kestrel box assembly walkthrough

Watch American Barn Owl box: Interior assembly walkthrough

Watch American Barn Owl box: Exterior assembly walkthrough

Nest Box Installation

American Kestrel

Kestrel boxes are typically installed on poles or extended fence posts in open fields with good visibility. Boxes should be mounted at least 12 feet high. Extending existing fence posts (e.g., using a 2×4) is a common and effective approach.

American Barn Owl

Barn owl boxes should be placed in low-disturbance sites with minimal human activity, where birds have consistent, quiet access to the box. Typical barn owl nest box sites include:

Exterior-mounted on barns
Inside barns, with owls entering the barn through an existing opening
Inside barns, with the box aligned to a cut opening in the exterior wall (direct outside entry)
Open sheds
Installed high inside unused silos
Pole-mounted in open fields
Mounted in marsh settings

Barn Owl Box Installation Videos:

Watch Barn Owl box installation (pole-mounted, field)

Watch Barn Owl box installation (silo)

Additional installation videos will be added as they become available.

Including Nest Boxes in the Program

All nest boxes included in the Maryland Farmland Raptor Program are monitored and data are collected and uploaded into the Cornell Lab’s NestWatch database. The program follows a standard protocol for determining whether to install a nest box and include it in the program.

Stewardship

The first question is whether the landowner or partner is committed to host the box and allow monitoring by trained volunteers. Long-term nest box projects require annual cleaning and monitoring to remain effective. Alternatively, is the landowner or partner willing to monitor the nest box themselves and share data with the program via NestWatch? If the answer is yes, then the program moves forward with evaluation of habitat and other physical site characteristics.

Habitat Suitability

American Kestrels. Kestrels favor open habitats such as fallow fields, pasture, hayfields, cropland, orchards, and mixed farmland, particularly working livestock operations (e.g., horse, cattle, and sheep farms) that maintain short vegetation, open sightlines, and abundant hunting perches. Occupancy is highest in diverse agricultural landscapes with minimal tree cover, scattered perches (fence posts, utility lines, barns), and boxes mounted on sturdy poles or buildings adjacent to open fields. Boxes placed near field edges or within mosaics of pasture and cropland tend to perform best.

American Barn Owls. Barn owls prefer open farmland such as fallow fields, pasture, hayfields, grasslands, and marsh edges, particularly landscapes with a mix of open cover types that support abundant small mammal prey. Occupancy is highest in diverse agricultural landscapes where nest boxes are mounted on tall structures adjacent to open foraging areas.

Fallow field

A fallow field is agricultural land that is intentionally left unplanted for a period of time, allowing vegetation to regrow and soils to recover, often providing abundant prey and open foraging habitat

Fallow field

A fallow field is agricultural land that is intentionally left unplanted for a period of time, allowing vegetation to regrow and soils to recover, often providing abundant prey and open foraging habitat

Hayfields

Hayfields are managed grasslands harvested periodically for livestock feed, where low to moderate vegetation height and open structure can provide productive foraging habitat for American Kestrels, especially outside peak growing periods.

Pasture

Pasture is open agricultural land maintained for grazing livestock, typically characterized by short grasses, open sightlines, and scattered perches that create ideal foraging habitat

Chemical Use

Are rodenticides or heavy pesticides used on the property or adjacent lands? If so, the program will not install a nest box. Research on barn owls shows that secondary poisoning from rodenticides is widespread; residues have been detected in 94–100% of tested barn owls in the United Kingdom. In addition, pesticide-intensive farmland reduces prey availability.

Disturbance and Hazards

Farm machinery, livestock activity, or regular human presence can cause disturbance and hazards to farmland raptors. If disturbance or road risk is too high, the program will not install.

Kestrels are generally tolerant of moderate human activity and frequently nest in working agricultural landscapes, near roads, and around farm buildings when prey availability and hunting perches are sufficient. Roadside environments and active farms can be productive nesting areas, particularly where fence lines, utility wires, and other elevated perches are present.

Barn owls prefer low-traffic or secluded areas such as silos and barns. Sites away from major highways or fast roads are essential. Barn owls suffer high mortality near busy roads; occupancy and breeding success decline within ~1 km of highways.

Mounting Location

If a safe, stable mounting point is available and the other criteria are met, the program will install a nest box. A predator guard (pole baffle, flashing, etc.) is installed whenever possible because predator guards significantly increase nesting success.

Recommended height is 10–15 ft, allowing safe access for monitoring. While higher placements can be advantageous in some settings, ease of access for regular monitoring should be a key consideration when determining final height.
Orientation and access: Face the nest box toward an open area to provide clear flight paths, good visibility for hunting and predator awareness, and an unobstructed approach to the entrance.

For more information or to request consideration for participation in the program, contact frp_coordinator@marylandbirds.org.