NestWatch Blog Posts
Blog
- What’s All The Buzzing About?
Do Northern Flickers have a “hive mind” mentality? Or is their acoustic resemblance to a swarm of bees simply coincidence? Listen in, and decide for yourself!
- The Nests That Weren’t
We love to play “Guess whose nest?” and answer your burning nest questions. Sometimes, however, this takes a detour into non-avian species. Here are our top five participant finds.
- Buckeye Birds Track Temperature And Precipitation
A new study based on Ohio’s bluebirds and Tree Swallows sheds light on how future climate scenarios might impact nesting birds. It also takes a look at how birds might help mitigate crop pests in Ohio.
- Time Traveling House Finches
A study spanning a century of House Finch data suggests that as California’s springs get warmer, the birds are laying eggs earlier in the season. Read on to learn how researchers used our nest records to uncover the historic lives of House Finches.
- A Pulley System for Large Nest Boxes
For anyone struggling with how to clean and maintain a large nest box mounted on a tall pole, consider installing a pulley system to raise and lower your nest box. Within this post is a link to a design for building a low-cost pulley system.
- Round Versus Slot Entrances: New Study Says “Go Round”
A new study of nest box design suggests that bluebird enthusiasts should choose round entrance holes over “slot-style” nest boxes. Find out why this design decision made a difference to Mountain Bluebirds in British Columbia.
- Predators Near the Nest: Bluebirds Weigh the Risks
When it comes to predators near the nest, do birds leave after just one observation? A recent study suggests that simply observing a predator at the nest box one time is not likely to cause abandonment.
- On Cowbirds and Changelings: is there more to the lore?
How did the bizarre folklore of the “changeling” child first enter European literature? Could an avian reproductive strategy called “brood parasitism” have served as inspiration? This week, we explore the origins of this fanciful myth by examining real-life changelings (i.e., cowbirds and cuckoos).
- Inspection Cams Bring Nests Into View
Have you found a nest that is hard to check? Maybe a nest inspection camera is the right tool for you! Read on to learn about this technical solution to monitoring nests that are in tight spots.