Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., June 15, 2008 Sivan 12, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:24 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

A design challenge: an airy cage for the lesser kestrel By Zafrir Rinat Students in the design department of Hadassah Academic College in Jerusalem tackled an unusual challenge this year. One of their teachers, Adiv Gal, asked them to help design a nesting box for the lesser kestrel, a small falcon, because existing boxes are not well insulated from the heat, and this causes the chicks to die. The result was a collection of innovative nesting boxes that will be tested during the next nesting season. The nest boxes for lesser kestrels that have put up throughout the Alona Regional Council, east of Binyamina, have become a symbol of efforts to preserve birds that are in danger of extinction. At the initiative of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), and with the help of Israel Electric Corporation cranes, dozens of boxes have been placed on houses. The boxes were put up after the layer of wood under the homes' tile roofs, in which the kestrels used to nest, was replaced by concrete, depriving them of their nesting sites. Advertisement "We have been putting up nest boxes for 12 years now - about 80 of them each year," said Gal, who coordinates the project. "The kestrels nest in 20 to 30 boxes each year. However, we found out that the boxes have become death traps. They become overheated and there is not enough air in them. The chicks die, or fail to hatch from the eggs." SPNI experts tried to improve the wooden nest boxes by adding openings for air, but this failed to solve the problem. As a result, boxes are no longer put up on buildings that have prolonged exposure to the sun. Then Gal decided to take advantage of the fact that he teaches ecology in Hadassah College's industrial design program. He asked his students to design nest boxes that would solve the problems of heat and lack of air. The students designed several different models of boxes, from various materials. One box was made of the same material from which Ytong aerated concrete is manufactured, as this material is supposed to be a better insulator against heat; the student also drilled numerous holes in it so that air could enter. Another box was made of the fabric that is used for sofas, with the addition of a sawdust filling to improve the insulation. Still others were made of clay and papier mache. "Next year, we will start checking the temperature inside the boxes with thermometers, and I hope we will be able to start using the box that turns out to be most suitable," said Gal. The lesser kestrel population has been suffering in recent years from both a shortage of nesting sites and the disappearance of the natural habitats where it finds its food. Its situation is particularly dire in Jerusalem, but it also seems to be endangered in other areas. For instance, Gal said, the damage to the kestrels' habitat seems to have caused a decline in the number of birds that nest in the Alona area. The birds suffer, among other things, from being preyed on by other animals, such as cats, he explained. The lesser kestrel is one of four species for which nature conservation organizations have set up nest boxes in recent years. There are nest boxes (made of old ammunition crates) for swifts in Tel Aviv and Givatayim, thanks to the initiative of a resident of Givatayim, Amnon Hahn. And there are boxes for barn owls and falcons in the Jordan Valley, as well as several boxes in Tel Aviv. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Snoop Dogg in Israel American rapper Snoop Dogg slated to perform in Ramat Gan. Late date Scientists revive 2,000-year-old date seed found at Masada.

Read & React Bradley Burston: Israel's own version of Holocaust denial Responses: 131 'Israel Lobby' authors in Jerusalem: Ahmadinejad not inciting to genocide Responses: 328 Hamas claims responsibility for deadly blast in Gaza house Responses: 217 Palestinian woman films masked men attacking W. Bank farmers Responses: 277 Mofaz: Hamas should be asking Israel for calm, not vice versa Responses: 123 More Headlines 01:59 Condoleezza Rice says she'll address issue of settlements with Israel 20:19 Syria: We'll get the Golan back with or without peace 01:17 Ramon: Barak ultimatum to Olmert will result in Likud takeover 18:14 VIDEO: Palestinian woman films masked men attacking W. Bank farmers 18:15 Hamas in Gaza, one year on / Everyone in the region is talking to each other 23:57 IDF activates warning system meant to spot mortars from Gaza 09:28 Graduate student pushes for Jewish state in Germany 16:43 Egypt battles 'sex tourism', bans 92-year-old from marrying teen 18:54 World powers urge Iran to suspend nuclear enrichment during talks 19:25 New museum to show Jewish life in Cologne dates back 1,700 years 22:06 Couple and infant daughter killed in western Galilee car accident Previous Editions Select Day 13 jun 12 jun 11 jun 10 jun 09 jun 08 jun 06 jun 05 jun 04 jun 03 jun 02 jun 01 jun

Special Offers Advertisement In the heart of Tel-Aviv The Meier on Rothschild tower Jerusalem of Gold Luxury apartments in Jerusalem's finest location Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Istudy Learn Hebrew in 3 months The Terraces Your Ultimate Coastal Address On Nitza Boulevard, North Netanya Pardes Institute Summer Sessions http://www.pardes.org.il/ Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved