Nest Box Monitoring

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Nest Box Monitoring

• An Active Approach to
• Wildlife Management

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Nest Box Monitoring

• Objectives
• Describe why we monitor
• Discuss required skills and available tools
• Discuss identification of nests and birds
• Describe data entry and reporting

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What Is Nest Box Monitoring?

• Nest box monitoring consists of observation of
  nest box activity and action in promoting some
  species over others
• Goal is to promote bluebird nesting on our site
• Bluebirds are rare on Aquidneck Island due to
  competition for relatively few nesting cavities
• Method is to increase the number of available
  nesting cavities and limit undesirable bird
  occupancy
• We have placed a series of nesting boxes on our
  site (24 total)
• We will monitor them weekly during the nesting
  season (April - August) for the presence of
  undesirables
• We will remove the nests of undesirables
• We will record the number and species of eggs and
  fledglings per box and in total

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What Skills Are Needed?

• Successful monitoring requires the following
  skills
• Identification
• Which bird?
• Whose nest?
• Whose eggs?
• Observation and recording
• How many eggs?
• What species?
• How many fledglings?
• Action
• Removal of nests belonging to house sparrows
• NO EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY!

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What Tools Are Needed?

• Successful monitoring requires the following
  tools
• Nest Box Monitoring Guide
• Map of nest box locations
• Nest box monitoring data collection form
• Pen or Pencil
• Binoculars
• Also helpful
• Pocket flashlight
• Small dental mirror

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How Is Data Recorded?

• Nest monitors use paper forms in the field and
  later enter information into an online database

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Where Are the Nest Boxes?
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What Do the Nest Boxes Look Like?
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What Birds Can I Expect to See?

• House Sparrows
• Tree Swallows
• House Wrens
• Chickadees
• Bluebirds

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Identification House Sparrow

• Know the enemy
• Imported from Europe, invasive, plentiful
• Extremely aggressive, known to kill baby bluebirds

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Identification House Sparrow

• Description 5 6 ½ inches in length. Male has
  a black throat, white cheeks, chestnut nape, and
  gray crown and rump. Female and young are
  streaked dull brown above, dingy white below,
  with pale eyebrow.
• Voice Shrill, monotonous, noisy chirping
• Habitat Cities, towns, and
  agricultural areas

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Identification House Sparrow
House Sparrow Nest
Nesting material Ball of grasses, weeds, and
trash lined with feathers
Eggs 3-7 (commonly 5). Shell smooth with a
slight gloss. White, greenish white spotted
with grays and browns.
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Identification Tree Swallow

• Description 6 inches in length. Adult dark
  iridescent green-blue above entirely snowy white
  below. Tail notched. Young birds are uniformly
  dull brown above but may be distinguished from
  Bank and Northern Rough-Winged Swallows by their
  clearer white underparts.
• Voice Cheerful series of liquid twitters
• Habitat Lakeshores, flooded meadows, marshes,
  and streams
• Behavior Vehement, aggressive defenders of their
  nests. Will circle and dive at intruders,
  veering off at the last minute.

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Identification Tree Swallow
Tree Swallow Nest
Nesting material Accumulation of dried grasses
hollowed in the center or in a corner. Lined with
feathers, often placed so curved feather tips
curl over eggs.
Eggs 4-6 (commonly 5). Shell smooth, without
gloss. Pure white.
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Identification House Wren

• Description 4 ½ 5 ¼ inches in length. A tiny
  bird with a short tail often held cocked over its
  back. Dusky brown above, paler below, with no
  distinctive markings. Winter Wren is similar but
  smaller and darker, with a shorter tail and pale
  eyebrow.
• Voice A gurgling, bubbling, exuberant song,
  first rising, then falling
• Habitat Residential areas, city parks,
  farmlands, and woodland edges

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Identification House Wren
House Wren Nest
Nesting material A cup of grasses, plant
fibers, rootlets, feathers, hair, and rubbish on
a bed of twigs
Eggs 5-8 (commonly 6-7). Shell smooth with a
slight gloss. White, thickly speckled with minute
reddish or cinnamon-brown dots color deeper at
larger end of egg.
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Identification Chickadee

• Description 4 ¾ 5 ¾ inches in length. Black
  cap and throat, white cheeks, gray back, dull
  white underparts. Wing feathers narrowly and
  indistinctly edged with white.
• Voice A buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a clear,
  whistled fee-bee, the second note lower and often
  doubled
• Habitat Deciduous and mixed forests and open
  woodlands suburban areas in winter

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Identification Chickadee
Chickadee Nest
Nesting material Lined with wool, hair, fur
(rabbit), moss, feathers, insect cocoons, and
cottony fibers
Eggs 5-10 (commonly 6-8). Shell smooth and very
thin with little or no gloss. White, rather
evenly spotted with reddish brown. Spots
concentrated at larger end of egg.
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Identification Bluebird

• Description 7 inches in length. Bright blue
  above and on wings and tail. Rusty throat and
  breast. White belly and undertail coverts.
  Female similar, but duller.
• Voice A liquid and musical turee or queedle.
  Song a soft melodious warble.
• Habitat Open woodlands and farmlands with
  scattered trees

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Identification Bluebird
Bluebird Nest
Nesting material Loosely built cup of fine
grasses and weed stalks
Eggs 3-6 (commonly 4-5). Shell smooth and
glossy. Pale blue, bluish white, occasionally
pure white. Unmarked.
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How Is Data Reported?
An online reporting tool provides sortable
status report
of nesting activity
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How Is Data Reported?
Data is collated at the end of each nesting
season and sent to the Wildlife Habitat Council
to enhance survey data of species in the area
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How Is Data Reported?
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For Further Information

• Nest box monitors will each receive a Nest Box
  Monitoring Guide
• Others who are interested may download the guide
  from the REWHC web site at www.REWHC.org
• For more information, contact
• Edgar Ortiz ext. 3432
• Bill Saslow ext. 3461