Photo © Kevin McGowan

New Feature: Bulk Import!

Do you have nest records that are too numerous to enter into NestWatch manually, or do you know someone who does? In a recent survey of NestWatchers, we found that the majority of respondents with old data sets would be likely to use a spreadsheet upload tool, if one existed.

Enter the Bulk Import Tool! We have recently created a powerful tool that will enable us to accept thousands of nest records with the uploading of a single spreadsheet. But we need your help beta testing it to ensure that it is widely compatible. If you or someone you know has large amounts of data suitable for NestWatch, please contact us for more details.

Researchers, wildlife refuges, conservation organizations, and others often maintain large nesting data sets, but don’t have the time or resources to enter them into our permanent, open-access database. That was certainly the case for Rachel Reklau of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County (Illinois). Rachel graciously provided the very first test data set (3,769 nests spanning 14 years!) for the new feature, serving as the impetus for building a prototype.

Your gift will help
As we continue to refine this new feature, we need your help to reach its full potential. Even if you don’t have an old data set, you can still help us build it. Your donation of $30 or more is especially needed to help us promote this tool to new audiences. Every year, data are lost because of failure to plan for their final disposition. Computers crash, people retire, or the data are simply forgotten, but once lost, a precious spotlight into the past is forever darkened. You can help us ramp up our data-collecting capacity in a big way by contributing now!