Track 2. Nest Boxes & Other Structures and the Birds that Use Them

Lesson 3 - Insect-Eating Birds Supported by Nest Boxes and Buildings

Presenters: Robyn Bailey - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology & Dr. Melanie Truan - UC Davis

Robyn is the project leader for NestWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology where she helps people around the country who want to support more nesting birds. Her research is focused on using crowd-sourced nesting data to study ways that we can improve outcomes for nesting birds via small, everyday actions. She earned her M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University.

Dr. Truan is a staff research associate with the Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology at the University of California Davis. She is founder and director of the Yolano Nestbox Network, a consortium of nest box trails that provides a platform for research, conservation and environmental education in California’s Central Valley agricultural region.

Continued Education Credits/Units Approved:

Learning Objectives

• Determine which birds are present and how they could be supported by farms
• Evaluate various nest boxes and make recommendations
• Identify where to install and not install boxes
• Monitor boxes

Presentation Recording

Videos

WFA Publications

• Supporting Beneficial Birds and Managing Pest Birds
• Nesting Structures for Beneficial Songbirds on the Farm

Articles and Websites

• https://nestwatch.org/
• https://mwfbsongbirdnestbox.wordpress.com/
• https://www.cbrp.org/
• http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

NestWatch has additional information on:

• Managing non-native nest box competitors here: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/managing-house-sparrows-and-european-starlings/
• Plans for predator guards here: https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/dealing-with-predators/

Peer-reviewed Articles

• Predator guard effectiveness: Bailey, R.L., and D.N. Bonter. 2017. Predator guards on nest boxes improve nesting success of birds. Wildlife Society Bulletin 41(3):434–441.
• Non-native birds impacting native cavity-nesters: Bailey R.L., H.A. Faulkner-Grant, V.Y. Martin, T.B. Phillips, and D.N. Bonter. 2020. Nest usurpation by non-native birds and the role of people in nest box management. Conservation Science and Practice 2020: e185.
• Managing non-native birds in boxes: Fernandez-Duque, F., R. L. Bailey, and D. N. Bonter. 2019. Egg oiling as an effective management technique for limiting reproduction in an invasive passerine. Avian Ecology and Conservation 14(2): 20.
• Noise and light pollution using NestWatch data: Senzaki, M., J.R. Barber, J.N. Phillips, N.H. Carter, C.B. Cooper, M.A. Ditmer, K.M. Fristrup, C.J.W. McClure, D.J. Mennitt, L.P. Tyrrell, J. Vukomanovic, A.A. Wilson, and C.D. Francis. 2020. Sensory pollutants alter bird phenology and fitness across a continent. Nature 2020(587): 605–609.