Live-trapping of kestrels by using Balchatri traps has been very successful. Pole traps and direct shooting are utilized where it is virtually impossible to use live-traps. Chain-link fences have been used successfully at a number of colonies to deter mammalian predators. The height of the fence is critical, as is the cantilevered top. Sand drift can easily destroy fence effectiveness.
Mammalian predators seek the weakest point in the fence at which to enter.
As is the case with islands, fencing cannot deter avian predators. Terns generally avoid the edge of the fence line, and the highest density is found centralized within the enclosure. Fences also potentially keep chicks from reaching the cover of shoreline vegetation in an island setting. Cover is important to protect chicks from avian predators. Electric fences generally have not proven consistently effective in reducing mammalian predation, although, when used in conjunction with chain-link fences, they act as a valuable, additional deterrent.