NestWatch Season Wrap-Up 2021

Bluebird nestlings close to fledging during a nest check

Jim Armbruster – Research Coordinator

This summer was once again full of baby birds! As the leaves begin to change again there are still baby birds in the care of rehab but all of our monitored nests have moved on to bigger and better bird things. Boxes were at capacity this spring and summer with several seeing multiple broods.

The highlight this year was our bluebirds raising two successful rounds of young that were often observed around our campus learning how to bluebird. Six Tree Swallow nests successfully fledged throughout the summer as well. An Eastern Phoebe had a successful nest on our rehab building and a family of flycatchers nested and successfully fledged on a branch just off our canopy walk. That nest offered unobstructed views of the parents feeding the three nestlings fresh caught bugs from around campus.

New this summer was our American Kestrel nest box monitoring program throughout the Upper Valley that we are expanding over the winter and will continue to monitor next spring. We are also looking to bring nest box monitoring to area schools to spread the excitement of baby bird watching.

This seasons stats

47 Total Nest Sites, 15 Total Nestling Attempts, 57 Total Eggs, 29 Total Young

A Tree Swallow incubates eggs in a nest box
Tree Swallow nestlings close to fledging during a nest check
American Kestrel nestling after banding
A quick picture while moving a recently fledged Downy Woodpecker out of a road during a field outting
Bluebird eggs in a box
Recently hatched Bluebird nestlings
Nestling American Robins

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