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Glad you asked
This month, we’re introducing a new column to our eNews that focuses on finding and getting the help you need with NestWatch. To kick things off, we’re answering a common question this time of year: “I have some boxes in which the birds had a second nesting in the same box. How do I enter this data?”
You should create a new nest attempt in NestWatch each time a pair begins a new clutch (whether it’s the same pair or a different one). Once the nest fledges or fails, you should end the attempt by:
- clicking “Save and Summarize Attempt”
- entering the summary information, then
- clicking “Save & End This Attempt”
Once you have done this, you will again have the option to “Add an Attempt”, which will allow you to create additional attempts for subsequent nestings.
Whereas open-cup nests may never be used again, it is particularly important for nest box monitors to recognize each nesting as a unique attempt. We ask that you not submit multiple consecutive nestings under the same attempt because the data summaries from such entries are inaccurate, and therefore, much more difficult to interpret.