New Feature: Photo Uploads

Whether you participate using our mobile app or through the website, you can now take advantage of a fun new feature: photo uploads. With this new feature, you can attach up to three photos to a nest check, meaning each photo is dated, georeferenced, and linked to the breeding data. Your photos will become part of our research database, opening up new avenues of research.

To kick off our first photo-based research project, we’re asking for photos of Great Crested Flycatcher nests in the east and Ash-throated Flycatcher nests in the west. Researcher Dr. Vanya Rohwer is interested in the potential benefits of snake skin as nesting material in these flycatchers’ nests (or the lack of it). There is no need to resubmit old photos that have already been added to our public photo gallery; we’ve downloaded those previously-submitted photos (thank you!). Please submit new photos by linking them to your nest attempt (as opposed to sharing in the public gallery).

Note that photos attached to your nest checks do not yet get shared to our public gallery. To use the data-entry photo upload, you must have started a nest attempt within NestWatch, however anyone (participant or not) can post to our public gallery.

As a reminder, be quick with your photos and don’t spend too much time at the nest (less than a minute is ideal). By submitting photos, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.

New App Feature: Global Species List

Included in last week’s app update are changes that better support data submission from outside North America. Species lists are now regionally appropriate in any country in the world, as curated by eBird. Last year, we received data from 23 countries outside of North America, and we’d love to bolster these submissions. Imagine researchers soon being able to easily study nesting birds throughout their global breeding range!

Did you know? We can also accept global data via our Bulk Upload tool and through the website.

Annual Report Is Here

In case you missed it, last month we published our annual report called NestWatch Digest. Take a look back at how the 2018 nesting season fared with regional data summaries, research updates, and recent accomplishments.

A Blended Family

George Sydlowski captured this unusual family in Michigan. These adult Sandhill Cranes have been seen tending to a Canada Goose gosling (left, yellow plumage) alongside their own chick (right, brown plumage). We don’t know why this pair adopted the young gosling. Both species will nest in similar habitat, and both chicks hatch fully feathered and start walking soon after. So far the “siblings” seem to be getting along well.

Posters On Special

For a gift of $50, you can receive all three of our NestWatch posters: Eggs of North American Birds, Cavity-nesting Birds, and Common Nesting Birds! This bundle offer is available for NestWatcher supporters. Egg mugs are still available for gifts of $100 but are in very short supply. We thank you for your support!