Digitizing old nest cards will help document the effects of climate change on breeding birds

In 1997, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Nest Box Network began as a citizen-science project intended to monitor and collect data on birds using nest boxes. Now the project has evolved into NestWatch, widely expanding the range of species tracked. This growing body of data now has nearly 100,000 individual nest records, providing a wonderful source of data for scientists who need information about nesting birds from throughout the continent.

Another rich source of data comes from cards submitted to Cornell’s Nest Record Card Program. This project, begun in 1965, has more than 330,000 nest records, all carefully archived at the Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity. But because these records are handwritten on cards rather than entered into a computer, the information is hard to access for anyone not in Ithaca or for anyone who wants more information than can be accessed by reading cards one at a time.

Once the data are digitized, they will provide a valuable database spanning more than 40 years and 500 species. Using weather data, it will be possible to compare bird nesting attempts and successes or failures with seasonal climate patterns and local weather conditions, providing valuable insights into how nesting birds are adapting or not adapting to climate changes.

Tina Phillips, project leader for NestWatch, says, “We are currently working toward a funding strategy that would allow us to convert the historic, hand-written nest cards into useable, digitized codes.” To make a donation, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/donate/nestwatch.