Cornell Nest Box Network Profject

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology

Brian Mingle, Public Relations Assistant

159 Sapsucker Woods Road

Ithaca, New York 14850

(607) 254-2473

(800) 843-BIRD

http://birds.cornell.edu

The Cornell Nest Box Network is both an informal science project and a nest box monitoring program in North America. The project is two years old and is a citizen-science project of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO). The objectives are as follows:

	To learn more about the breeding biology of cavity-nesting birds that use nest boxes over a large area. This could never be accomplished by a single researcher alone, which is why we enlist the help of birders, school children, youth groups, etc.
	To help our participants have fun doing a "hands-on" science project while they learn more about birds and how to "do" science.

All participants decide how much they do. You can have one nest box or 100 boxes. You can choose to collect data on on topic or all of them. It's up to you. We appreciate any effort you make, and more importantly, we hope you enjoy the project and maybe even learn something about birds that you didn't know before.

We provide everything you need EXCEPT the nest box, but we tell you how to get one. Our research kit provides information on the following:

	How to build or purchase a good nest box
	Where to put it
	How and when to monitor the box without harming the birds
	How to collect valid scientific data
	How to complete your data submission
	When to expect the birds
	Who are the birds you might find nesting in your nest box, when they lay their eggs, what their nests look like, etc.

We also provide software, all the data forms you need, and support when you have questions. We also share data with others on a case-by-case basis.

Some of the activities include:

	Counting the eggs to determine maximum clutch sizes
	Estimating the number of feathers in swallow nests
	Offering feathers to swallows (children and adults love this one)
	Offering calcium (eggshells or oyster shells) to see if any of your nesting birds are using it
	Pairing nest boxes (an empty one and one with an old nest in it) to learn which box the birds prefer
	Measuring nest-box variables, such as entrance hole size, height, direction, distance from other nest boxes, etc.

We accept data on any species that nests in your nest box. All the data being collected are grounded in scientific questions developed by scientists at the CLO. We report the results of your research back to you in our quarterly newsletter, "Birdscope." Results are also shared with the scientific and conservation community through publications in scientific journals. CNBN participants also have access to a listserv where you can e-mail with other participants and CLO staff.

Since the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a non-profit institute, our citizen-science programs are supported largely by participant fees. Participant fees for CNBN help cover the costs of the research kit, data forms, and subscription to "Birdscope." For CNBN, the first year is $20, when you receive your research kit, and $15 for renewal years, when you receive updates and additions to your kit.

Participants can sign up by calling 1-800-843-BIRD.