eNews July 2024

Hatching Soon: New Website

We wanted to alert NestWatchers that our website will be getting a new look soon. What’s changing? Our new site will have:

• an updated look and feel;
• Spanish-language resources;
• improved accessibility and organization.

We’re excited to show you our new look, and we wanted to reduce any surprises for those who are still entering their nesting data for the season. Because we know that nesting season is still underway, we felt it was important to reassure you that our basic data entry workflow will not be changing. So keep on monitoring those nests, and keep an eye out for an announcement on our social channels.

Meet the Nuttall’s Woodpecker

This month’s blog post shines a spotlight on the often-overlooked Nuttall’s Woodpecker. Much about their breeding habits remains a mystery, creating a great opportunity for citizen scientists to contribute valuable insights. While these woodpeckers typically excavate their own nest holes in soft wood, some have taken to nest boxes, allowing NestWatchers to observe them more closely. Even so, these birds keep many of their secrets hidden. Read on to discover what we still don’t know about Nuttall’s Woodpecker and how you can get involved in uncovering these mysteries.

Robins Galore

We’re pleased to report that we just added 16,753 historical American Robin nests (1882–2011) to the NestWatch database thanks to our Nest Quest Go! project. That’s a lot of robins!

Nest Quest Go! is our sister project in which volunteers transcribe historical handwritten nest record cards into useable data. If it’s too hot to go outside, stay cool and transcribe nest cards instead. It’s the perfect “side quest” for nesting bird enthusiasts! Accept this side quest here. 

Super Job, South Carolinians!

We recently uploaded 1,863 nest records of 10 species thanks to the efforts of the South Carolina Bluebird Society. We thank the many South Carolina Bluebird Society volunteers and data coordinator Glen Hendry for their efforts in gathering these data. What a great example of the power of teamwork to contribute directly to birds and to long-term conservation!