Who can participate?

Anyone can participate, although children monitoring nests should always be accompanied by an adult. The only requirement is that participants find an active bird nest, record the breeding activity, and enter data through the “Your Data” page on this website.  Any bird nest, anywhere in the world is eligible to be monitored for NestWatch!

• Teachers: Does your schoolyard have the potential for birds to nest? If so, you could add the nest monitoring project as a special activity to your natural sciences courses. Download Thinking Outside the (Nest) Box, our curriculum that guides students through building a nest box, learning about the nesting cycle, and analyzing data. Aimed at grades 5-8, activities meet Common Core standards. Thinking Outside the (Nest) Box is also available for download in Spanish.
• Businesses: Does your company have space for nest boxes? Do you have birds nesting on the building? Add NestWatch to your corporate stewardship program and demonstrate your environmental responsibility.
• Non-profits: Do you or your volunteers conduct nest monitoring as part of your regular activities? NestWatch is a long-term, stable repository for your organization’s data.
• Individuals: From your backyard to your local park, you can monitor a nest anywhere in the world!