WHAT IS NESTWATCH?
NestWatch is a nationwide monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds, including when nesting occurs, number of eggs laid, how many eggs hatch, and how many hatchlings survive. Our database is intended to be used to study the current condition of breeding bird populations and how they may be changing over time as a result of climate change, habitat degradation and loss, expansion of urban areas, and the introduction of non-native plants and animals.
What Will You Be Doing?
Participating in NestWatch is easy and just about anyone can do it, although children should always be accompanied by an adult when observing bird nests. You’ll be visiting birds nests to record what you see, and then report this information back to our group. Your observations will be added to our complete list of NestWatchers. This data will be used by researchers to understand and study birds. Simply put, without your help it would be impossible to gather enough information to accurately monitor nesting birds across the country. And while you are contributing extremely valuable information to science, you will learn firsthand about birds and create a lifelong bond with the natural world.
