Get The NestWatch Curriculum
As back-to-school season approaches, we’d like to remind educators that NestWatch has a free curriculum for grades 5–8. Practice building a nest box and collecting data with your students as citizen scientists, all while learning about nesting cycles and bird identification. The curriculum is available as a free download, and you may also request a printed copy by following the instructions on the download page.
Updated FAQs Page
We have recently updated our Frequently Asked Questions to reflect current changes to the mobile app and website. We also have added new common questions (for example, should you water a plant with a nest in it?) and clarified some common protocol questions. We hope you’ll find our new FAQs section more searchable and complete.
Nest Quest Go! Corvids
Our Nest Quest Go! project is briskly converting cabinets of old paper records into digital nest records that can be uploaded into NestWatch. Right now, we’re working on the intelligent and charismatic Corvids, which in North America includes species such as crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. We could use all hands on deck to get this clever group of birds across the finish line. Click on over and help transcribe some historic nesting records on our Zooniverse page.
Reporting a Rare Oriole Behavior
Once in a while, NestWatchers document something that is seldom seen. That’s what happened when Jo Roberts of western Texas recorded the first known instance of a Scott’s Oriole reusing the same nest for four consecutive years. Scott’s Orioles are not known to reuse nests between years, but Jo’s findings suggest that they will do so if a nest site is particularly attractive. Her story reminds us that even one person can make a difference in what is known about a species. Learn more about this rare reused nest on our blog.