Blog

For seven years, Cornell University students diligently collected nesting data on two species of gulls in Maine. Recently this large data set has come home to roost in our NestWatch database via a generous bulk-upload contribution from Dr. David Bonter.

When Pygmy Nuthatches were creating a nuisance in a Colorado community, one woman stepped in to advocate for a peaceful solution. That act of peace eventually changed the arc of her life—taking her from occasional birder to self-taught citizen scientist and community activist.

This month, we’re highlighting students as FORCES for good. A unique program in the Finger Lakes, Niagara, and Central regions of New York called “Friends of Recreation, Conservation and Environmental Stewardship” (FORCES) is engaging college students to improve state park offerings. NestWatch is among the lineup of hands-on opportunities that are available to college students to help them gain career-related experience while also benefiting their local state parks.

A unique new study combines American Kestrel nest records from varied sources in order to analyze trends in nesting phenology. What they found is that for kestrels, especially those in the Northeast, it pays off to be right on time. Delays in starting a nest resulted in fewer offspring and lowered probability of success.

This year we’re asking NestWatchers to accept our challenge to find one nest of a species you’ve never monitored before. For inspiration, we illustrated five beloved backyard birds that nest near people. Download and print the images as a reminder, and read on to learn how to find the nests of these “outside the box” nesters.

In May 2017, Jason Estep of Ohio witnessed something incredibly rare, or at least, rarely seen. An Eastern Bluebird female consistently sat in the old nest of an American Robin over an eight day period. Although the nest was too high to glimpse the contents, it is thought that she was incubating eggs. But Jason isn’t the only one to find this kind of oddity this year.

NestWatchers have helped shed light on one of the most-asked questions of our participants: what are the biological consequences of providing extra food to birds? As is usually the case, results vary based on species.

Once in a while, NestWatchers document something that is seldom seen. That’s what happened when Jo Roberts of western Texas recorded the first known instance of a Scott’s Oriole reusing the same nest for years. Jo reminds us that even one person can make a difference in what is known about a species.

Humans use scarecrows to scare away birds, but do birds also use scare tactics to repel predators from their nests? Our latest research suggests that they do, and NestWatchers may have even witnessed it in action. Read on to find out how birds try to frighten away ghouls from the nest.