Help Us Finish Strong

Nests have fledged, and nest boxes are being cleaned for winter. But, the nesting season fun can continue! Consider spending the cooler days this fall and winter helping to transcribe historical nest records in Zooniverse. We are in the final days of completing our Swift and Swallow nest records. This collection has 15,931 cards and is so close to being finished! Once it is complete, we will dive back into the Eastern Bluebird collection. Join us from the comfort of your cozy home and help grow our database for research.

Love Fall Color?

What do bluebirds and fall foliage have in common? It turns out, quite a lot! In this post from our archives, Raisa Kochmaruk uses her artist’s eye to spot surprising similarities between autumn leaves and bluebird plumage. 

On a Roll in California

We recently uploaded 601 nest records to the NestWatch database! These records, representing 16 species, come from Lee Pauser, Sandra Derby, Kristen Vehling, and Larry Sasscer, in California. We thank them for their valuable contribution! 

Have a lot of data to upload to NestWatch? Learn about your options here.

Heat Wave Impacts on Nests

Researchers from the University of California, Davis recently investigated how heat waves impact the nesting success of numerous generalist bird species. As reported today in the prestigious journal Science, they found that forests buffered nesting birds from the effects of extreme heat, whereas nests in open agricultural landscapes suffered a 30% decline in survival. The negative impact of heat waves in agricultural areas is projected to worsen with climate change, but could be curtailed if emissions are lowered. A summary of the research—plus tips for helping birds cope with warmer temperatures—can be found on our blog.