2001 Nest-Record Card Program Report

2001 Nest-Record Card Program Report

In 2001, the fourth year of the Vermont Nest Record Program, over 30 volunteers as well as Conservation Biology Department staff at VINS recorded data for 327 nests representing 63 species. The rare finds included a Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, and Orchard Oriole. But, even the common species are poorly documented in Vermont.

Once again volunteer David Hoag proved to be Mr. Nest in 2001! How does he find all those nests? The Smokey House Center's Environmental Field Studies Program in Danby has incorporated the project into their summer program for the last 3 years with young students. During the spring they monitored nest with the Poultney 8^th graders. Dawn Morgan, Field Studies Instructor, wrote, "One of the highlights we experienced this year were checking 5 American Robin nests that were in a row along a barn rafter and discovering that a single robin had laid one egg in two of the nests and two eggs in a third nest. The kids were excited to see which nest the mother would incubate. It seemed she stuck with the nest with two eggs." Check out some of the great photos taken by volunteers included with this report.

Nest information submitted by volunteers will be included in future editions of The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont. Eventually, the data will also be available on the internet for interactive use by birders, students and educators, and researchers. To learn more about the Vermont Nest Card Program, contact Kent McFarland at VINS, Nest Records, 27023 Church Hill Rd., Woodstock, VT 05091, (802) 457-2779 ext. 124, e-mail kmcfarland@vinsweb.org.

What can we work toward and how can we use the data? Incredibly, the British Trust for Ornithology's Nest Record Schemed recently celebrate 1,000,000 Nest Record Cards! Each card representing the detailed observations made on a single nest by a volunteer observer for the BTO. It is incredible to think that when Sir Julian Huxley and James Fisher got together to start the "Hatching and Fledging Enquiry" in 1939 that it would be one of the cornerstones of the BTO's Monitoring programme nearly 60 years on. But now it is the biggest, most active and most computerized database in the World.

The BTO now receives more than 35,000 records per year from about 1000 volunteer birdwatchers, about half of which are organized from clubs and societies, or less formal groups, that carry out nest recording as part of their annual round of birdwatching activities.

The information provided by nest recorders is increasing in value. More than 250 scientific papers have been published using Nest Record data, beginning with David Lack's 1946 classic on "Clutch and brood size in the Robin". Currently there are about 60 studies in progress, more than a third of which are being undertaken by amateur enthusiasts. Many of the original studies aimed to describe the basic facts of the breeding ecology of our breeding birds, such as Willow Warbler, Treecreeper and Ring Ouzel. While there is still a lot to be done here, more and more attention is being focused on changes in breeding success.

The Nest Record Scheme holds a unique record of the changing fortunes of the UK's breeding birds which can help to clarify why some have declined in population size so drastically over the past 15 to 20 years. To give a few examples, recent studies have shown that Corn Buntings have suffered from increasing nest losses due to agricultural operations while Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings have not. Vulnerable populations of Twite in the South Pennines appear, from survey work, to be found on grass moorland where Nest Record information suggests they will be less productive than on their preferred heather moorland; it seems as if current moorland management is unsuitable for them at the moment. Lapwing population declines are associated with increased egg losses, perhaps due to the switch from spring to autumn-sown cereals and increased stocking rates.

Get out and find those nests! All species are valuable to the database.

Common Name	1998	1999	2000	2001	Total
COMMON LOON	30	33	38	38	139
AMERICAN ROBIN	32	36	29	41	138
BLACKPOLL WARBLER	46	23	21	14	104
BICKNELL'S THRUSH	17	35	20	20	92
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW	24	14	9	35	82
PEREGRINE FALCON	15	19	23	23	80
MYRTLE WARBLER	21	9	11	12	53
MAGNOLIA WARBLER	17	3	15	5	40
BANK SWALLOW				27	27
SLATE-COLORED JUNCO	10	4	1	10	25
EASTERN PHOEBE	5	7	5	7	24
COMMON GRACKLE	5	2	2	12	21
BARN SWALLOW	2	10	3	3	18
CHIPPING SPARROW	7	5	2	3	17
SWAINSON'S THRUSH	6	4	5	2	17
HOUSE WREN	4	6	1	5	16
TREE SWALLOW		5	5	6	16
SONG SPARROW	1		8	3	12
CEDAR WAXWING	4	2	4		10
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD		3	5	2	10
CLIFF SWALLOW		6	2	1	9
KILLDEER	1	5	2	1	9
MOURNING DOVE		6	1	1	8
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER		5	1	2	8
BALTIMORE ORIOLE	1	1	1	4	7
BROAD-WINGED HAWK	3	3		1	7
AMERICAN KESTREL		6			6
CANADA GOOSE		1	2	3	6
EASTERN KINGBIRD	2	1	1	2	6
FIELD SPARROW	1	2	2	1	6
GRAY CATBIRD		2	3	1	6
HOUSE FINCH	1	1	3	1	6
RED-TAILED HAWK	1	5			6
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE	3	1		1	5
GOSHAWK	1	1	3		5
WINTER WREN	2	2	1		5
WOOD THRUSH	4			1	5
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER	2	3			5
HOUSE SPARROW		2		2	4
VEERY	2	1		1	4
YELLOW WARBLER			1	3	4
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO		3			3
BROWN THRASHER		1	2		3
COMMON RAVEN	1		1	1	3
COOPER'S HAWK	1		1	1	3
EASTERN BLUEBIRD		2		1	3
GREAT-HORNED OWL	2			1	3
HERMIT THRUSH	1			2	3
NORTHERN CARDINAL		1	2		3
NORTHERN FLICKER			2	1	3
OSPREY		1	2		3
OVENBIRD			1	2	3
PURPLE MARTIN		1	1	1	3
RUFFED GROUSE			2	1	3
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK		2	1		3
AMERICAN BITTERN	1		1		2
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH			2		2
AMERICAN WOODCOCK		1		1	2
BELTED KINGFISHER	1			1	2
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER				2	2
BLUE JAY	2				2
CAROLINA WREN	1			1	2
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW			1	1	2
COMMON MERGANSER		1		1	2
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT		2			2
DOWNY WOODPECKER				2	2
EUROPEAN STARLING		1	1		2
GREAT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER	1	1			2
HAIRY WOODPECKER		1		1	2
HOODED MERGANSER		1		1	2
INDIGO BUNTING	2				2
LINCOLN'S SPARROW	2				2
NORTHERN HARRIER			1	1	2
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD		2			2
PURPLE FINCH			1	1	2
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK				2	2
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET			2		2
SOLITARY VIREO	2				2
WARBLING VIREO		1	1		2
ALDER FLYCATCHER			1		1
AMERICAN CROW				1	1
AMERICAN REDSTART			1		1
BARRED OWL	1				1
BROWN CREEPER		1			1
CANADA WARBLER				1	1
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER	1				1
EASTERN TOWHEE				1	1
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE	1				1
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET	1				1
GREAT BLUE HERON	1				1
MALLARD				1	1
MERLIN	1				1
NORTHERN GOSHAWK	1				1
ORCHARD ORIOLE				1	1
PILEATED WOODPECKER		1			1
RED-EYED VIREO			1		1
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK		1			1
SCARLET TANAGER	1				1
SPOTTED SANDPIPER		1			1
TURKEY		1			1
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH				1	1
WILLOW FLYCATCHER			1		1
WOOD DUCK				1	1
TOTAL	290	288	249	327	1182

How to Nest Find: A Guide

How do I visit a nest?

When should I fill out a card?

What should I do if I find a rare or endangered bird?

How many visits to a nest should I make?

Resources/Bibliography

Nest-record card instructions

Nest-record Card (online form)

Download a nestcard (Microsoft Word document)

Vermont Nest Records Home

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