I don’t have time to enter any visits at all; is my nest summary data still valuable?

For each nest site, you have the option of reporting your visits to the nest, in addition to a summary of the entire nest attempt (preferred), all of which can be done on the Nest Attempt page. However, if time is a factor, you may choose to enter just the summary information. While the visit information is more powerful for our analyses, the summary information is very quick and easy to enter, is still usable by researchers, and still allows you to export it for your records.

To enter just the summary information on our website: create a nest site, start a new nesting attempt, and enter the species. Then, scroll to the bottom of the Nest Attempt page and click “Summarize this nesting attempt.” Enter as much data as you can, and be sure to click “End Nesting Attempt” when you’re finished. Repeat this for each nest attempt summary you’d like to report to NestWatch.

If you’re using the app: add a nest site, start an attempt, add a date and the species to the attempt, and then tap “submit” to save that information. On the nest summary page, you’ll then see a button that reads “end attempt.” Tap this, fill out as much nest summary information as you can, and then tap “submit.” Repeat this process for additional nests.

Please note, NestWatch data needs to be separated by each clutch of eggs—we cannot accommodate trail totals, season totals, or similar aggregate data. Learn why here.