Nesting: Bringing Bird Families Home
What a great time of year! Longer days and warmer temperatures help to rapidly reawaken the natural world around us during this true season of renewal. Our fields and forests celebrate with splashes of amazing colors…from freshly blooming wildflowers to the return of migrant songbirds decked out in their finest breeding plumage.
Many of them will call your yard home. You might even say that their families will become part of your family. And you can make a significant difference in how well these extended families will thrive and survive in your own backyard.
Consider providing a little “pre-natal” boost for your birds. The need for protein and calcium increases substantially for birds as they prepare for nesting and during periods of egg-laying. Obtaining a sufficient amount of these nutrients determines the number of eggs a bird is able to produce and impacts the health of young birds. Wild Birds Unlimited’s Nesting SuperBlend™ is a great bird food to help you provide the essential protein and calcium needed by nesting families.
For birds that use nesting boxes (think bluebirds, wrens, titmice, etc.), it is important that they are made from high quality materials that will help insulate the youngsters from extreme cold or heat. Proper drainage and ventilation are a must and the box has to be easy to clean in preparation for the next tenant. Nesting boxes should also be specifically designed for the type of bird that is likely to make your yard its home and they should be placed in a location that is safe and enticing.
WBU has a complete line a high quality nest boxes to help get you started, including our environmentally-friendly EcoTough boxes that are made from recycled milk jugs. Using recycled materials is just one of the ways that WBU supports the 7 Simple Actions that scientist say we can all do to help birds.
Cornell Nest Watch
If you find a nest, keep an eye on it every few days to witness the nesting cycle unfold. A great way to do this is to report what you’re seeing to NestWatch, a free participatory science project from the Cornell Lab. That goes for any bird’s nest, not just those in nest boxes.
Recording your observations on NestWatch helps scientists track nesting success, a key component to understanding bird declines. For example, researchers have used NestWatch data to learn about how droughts affect bluebird nests, whether supplemental feeding helps birds, and much more.
To get started:
1. Read the Code of Conduct and take the Nestwatch Certification quiz
2. Find Nests to watch
3. Record your observations
You can record data on the NestWatch website or the NestWatch mobile app.
Learn more at NestWatch.com