eNews April 2024

What can I do about this nest?

Here’s a question we’re getting a lot this time of year: “What can you do about a nest in an inconvenient place?” Birds often build nests near humans, and sometimes they’re built in an awkward place, such as in a front door wreath, on seldom-used outdoor equipment, even on vehicles! The answer for how to handle this situation depends on whether or not the nest has any eggs or young in it. If you’re in this tricky position, read our advice in this FAQ post.

Save Spring Migrating Birds

Spring bird migration has begun. Under cover of darkness, 2.5–3.5 billion birds will fly northward to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. Now is one of the most important times of year to keep birds safe by reducing non-essential lighting at night and treating window glass so birds can see it and avoid deadly collisions.

To help prevent collisions, turn out non-essential lighting from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., or draw curtains to keep light inside. Add shields to external lighting to direct light downward and out of the skies. Taking these steps from February 15 to June 15 will save birds during spring migration.

Tips for Finding Nests

If you’d like to monitor more nests with NestWatch but have a hard time finding nests, this article is for you. We put together our Top 5 Tips For Finding Birds Nesting Near You. Observing birds at the nest, while contributing to science, is one of the most rewarding aspects of birdwatching, but finding these hidden treasures is a skill. Brush up on nest finding and try it out!

Bulk Upload Update

We recently uploaded 256 nest records into our database, thanks to Natalie Waters. She and her volunteers monitor Prothonotary Warbler nests for the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Thank you, Natalie, for this invaluable dataset!

Do you have old nest data stashed away in notebooks or stored digitally on hard drives that are difficult to maintain? Consider using NestWatch for data preservation. Our secure database is the ideal location to store your nest data in perpetuity; you can access or add to it at any time. We welcome researchers, hobbyists, and other groups who wish to upload their historical nest data. Learn more.