Surner Birding

About a week ago we had the folks from the Neighborhood Nest Watch Program stop by for their now annual visit to survey our yard. This year the banding team consisted of Evangeline Shank & Thom Bullock. They were pretty successful this year; of the seven sought after neighborhood nest watch species, they captured five- Northern Mockingbird, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Song Sparrow and Gray Catbird, only dipping on Black-capped Chickadee and American Robin. They also captured Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrows and a couple of Downy Woodpeckers. Below is a little more info on the Nest Watch Program...courtesy of Steph Clymer from the Facebook page.

Uncovering The Mysteries of Backyard Bird Populations
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's Neighborhood Nestwatch offers the opportunity for citizens to actively engage in scientific research while learning about bird biology in their backyard. Participants in this citizen science project enjoy a visit each year from scientists who band common birds in their backyard and search for nests. The participants then monitor the year-to-year survival and nesting success of these ...birds. We visit urban, suburban, and rural yards in western Massachusetts from Springfield to Greenfield. Neighborhood Nestwatch Springfield is part of a network of cities that includes Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, PA, Atlanta, GA and Gainesville, FL. Thanks to the work of our participants and together with the US Forest Service, we are discovering some of the constraints and opportunities for backyard bird populations, and are informing management and policy initiatives that support urban wildlife and responsible residential development.

Thom & Evangeline