How to Build a Hawk Perch for Rodent Control

A hawk perch helps minimize rodent problems.

Hawks feed on rodents, such as voles, rats and mice. They usually hunt during the day, so they'd provide daytime rodent control. Erecting a perch about 17 feet above the ground invites hawks to linger in your yard and hunt. A high perch gives hawks a strategic vantage point to improve their efficiency so they can eliminate more rodents. Erecting the perch in a large, open area makes it more attractive to hawks.

Things You'll Need

• 2 galvanized steel pipe sections, each 10 feet long and 3/4-inch in diameter
• 1 redwood block, 2 by 2 by 18 inches
• 2 wood screws, 1 1/2-inch
• Ready-mix concrete
• 1 floor flange, 2 inches in diameter with a 3/4-inch center hole
• 1 threaded sleeve, 3/4-inch

Instructions

1. Dig a circular hole in the ground about 3 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter.

2. Set one 10-foot section of galvanized steel pipe in the hole in the ground so that it stands upright.

3. Prepare 1 cubic foot of ready-mix concrete according to the label and pour it into the hole in the ground, keeping the pipe in place. Let the concrete dry.

4. Lay a 2- by 2- by 18-inch redwood block horizontally on your working surface. This block will serve as the perch. Measure to determine the middle point of the block, where you will attach the pole, and mark the spot.

5. Place a 2-inch floor flange on the marked spot and insert two 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the holes in the flange and into the block. A floor flange is a metal piece with a circular shape and a large hole in the middle. It also has four smaller holes on the side. The screws go through two smaller holes located opposite each other on the floor flange.

6. Insert the second 10-foot section of galvanized steel pipe into the large hole in the middle of the floor flange to connect it to the perch block.

7. Fit the top of the pipe planted in the ground halfway into a 3/4-inch threaded sleeve, which is a hollow metal tube.

8. Hold the pipe attached to the perch so that the perch is on top, running from east to west. An east-to-west orientation minimizes glare and will help the hawks see more clearly. Insert the bottom end of the pipe halfway into the threaded sleeve.

References

• RAIN: Artificial Perches for Raptors
• Cornell Cooperative Extension: Meadow Vole and Pine Vole