MiD Student Blog
Join our student bloggers as they discuss design, business, and everyday happenings in the studio.
Recently...
Birdbox Design/Build Workshop
On the roof of the Gershman Y, Mike Barakat, Woody, and Tony Guido held a 3 hour workshop to build birdhouses for the American Kestrel. They brought power tools, scrap wood from old projects and some motivational food like vegan chili and hot dr. pepper. It was a cold day but there was a good turnout from grad's and undergrad's alike. When all was said and done 8 new nest boxes had been made and no injuries had occurred, so it was a success!
For Mike Barakat, and Woody this was only the first step though. They are applying for Spring Program, a $5,000 grant to support local biodiversity, and this workshop was one way for them to take action towards achieving that goal. Ultimately, they want to create Nestworks, an urban planned network of nesting areas for the American Kestrel in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. This network will be composed of a series of ready-made and constructed nest boxes, built from found materials in the area, along with a guide for local bird watchers, because it is one of the most elaborately colored birds of prey.
The American Kestrel is a great candidate for repopulation because it likes to live in urban areas and feed off the small rodents, insects and pests like the house sparrow, that live in the city. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are excellent cities because it is native to both areas, and both cities have rivers nearby for water. Since it is one of the smallest birds of prey, the man-made nest boxes can be relatively easily build and because it usually nests lower to the ground than most birds of prey, mounting them won't be as much of an issue.
