Episode description

Do you enjoy having birds nest on your property? Would you like to learn more about what to look for in a nest box to make it the best it can be for your birds? Are you interested in finding out how you can safely monitor your nesting birds and help scientists study nesting birds?

In this episode, I am joined by Holly Grant. Holly is the Project Assistant for NestWatch which is a community science program based out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We discuss a wide range of topics related to nesting birds including:

• how to attract them to your property,
• different types of nest boxes or nesting structures you can put out,
• what to do if you find a baby bird out of the nest,
• safely monitoring the bird nests on your property,
• contributing to the broader understanding of nesting birds by participating in NestWatch,
• and much more.

Oh! And if you like to put out hanging baskets, but the wrens or other birds always decide that’s where they want to nest, then you definitely want to listen to this episode. Towards the end of our conversation, Holly shares a great tip which will allow you to continue watering your plant without disturbing the nest!

Also, Anthony and I are working on a project that we’re very excited about. We’re hoping to make an announcement about it in the next couple of months. If you want to be among the first to hear about it, then be sure to subscribe to our Backyard Ecology emails. You can do so at www.backyardecology.net/subscribe. That’ll keep you up to date with everything going on in the Backyard Ecology world

And when you sign up for our emails, you’ll be able to download a free, e-book that explains why our familiar garden zones don’t mean anything when it comes to gardening with native plants. That’s just our way of saying thank you for your interest in Backyard Ecology.

Until next week, I encourage you to take some time to enjoy the nature in your own yard and community.

• Email: nestwatch@cornell.edu
• Website: https://nestwatch.org/
• Right Bird, Right House: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/right-bird-right-house/
• Common Nesting Birds: https://nestwatch.org/learn/focal-species/
• Nest Monitoring Code of Conduct: https://nestwatch.org/learn/how-to-nestwatch/code-of-conduct/
• What Kind of Nest Materials are Best to Provide for Birds?: https://nestwatch.org/connect/blog/what-kind-of-nest-materials-are-best-to-provide-for-birds/

• All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/

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• Male eastern bluebird bringing an insect back to the nest box.
• Photo credit: USFWS, public domain