eNews February 2024

A New Era in American Kestrel Collaboration

We are excited to announce a new collaboration with The Peregrine Fund’s American Kestrel Partnership (AKP) that will kick off this breeding season. NestWatch will become the new data entry system for AKP, which had formerly maintained a separate database specifically designed for people who monitor American Kestrel nests. The massive AKP dataset includes approximately 60,000 observations from more than 5,200 American Kestrel nest boxes and other cavities spread across 49 US states, 7 Canadian provinces & territories, and 4 additional countries, providing an incredibly detailed snapshot of kestrel breeding activity throughout the species’ range in North America and beyond. 

Recognizing that collaboration leads to greater conservation impact and efficiency, we have come together to merge the AKP database into NestWatch. Soon AKP participants will be able to access their migrated data, and researchers will be able to access even more kestrel data in one place!

The transition process is currently underway but is not complete. We recommend that AKP participants wait until the completion is announced to begin entering 2024 data, at which point their nest sites will appear in their new account automatically (preventing the need to create any duplicated sites). 

We have created an FAQ page here to help answer any questions. We acknowledge that transitions usually involve a learning period, and we appreciate your patience as we reply to queries and make adjustments. Thanks for sticking it out, and we’re glad to welcome you to NestWatch.

Welcome, Newcomers

With lots of new people on board for the spring 2024 breeding season, this seems like a good time to share some resources for new participants.

• Nest Monitoring Code of Conduct
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Nest Monitoring Manual
• Data Entry for First-Timers
• Data Map with Glossary

Getting started with any new project can be confusing, but we’re here to help. If you can’t find an answer to your question after searching our website, use the contact us form to reach out for help.

First Fledges of 2024!

We’re pleased to report that the first fledglings to be recorded in 2024 (as reported so far to NestWatch) were two Eurasian Collared-Doves recorded by Ronald Hunt in Colorado. Despite some cold temperatures, the nest fledged both young on February 7 (watch a video of them hatching).

​Ronald’s early brood just slightly edged out that of a Common Gallinule reported by Ann Fourtner in the Virgin Islands which fledged on February 10. Kudos to Ronald and Ann for finding these early birds, but we’re also delighted to see many other nests underway across the world! We can’t wait to see what this year brings.