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Have you ever found a bird's nest, and watched in fascination as the parents built the nest, patiently incubated the eggs, then frantically fed their chicks until they were old enough to fly? Or perhaps the ending was not so happy, and the eggs or young disappeared, eaten by a predator such as a jay, squirrel or raccoon. Or maybe the chick they raised was not their own, but that of a Cowbird, a social parasite that never makes its own nest, but instead lays its eggs in nests of other birds. Such events are all part of the natural cycle, but if they start happening too often, we begin to worry. Cowbirds were formerly restricted largely to the prairies in western North America, but with the spread of agriculture they have expanded their range, and are now parasitizing nests of hundreds of different species. Other human-induced changes in the landscape, such as forest fragmentation, garbage dumps, and surplus grain crops, have led to increased populations of raccoons, skunks and other predators. Climate change could affect the food supply for the nestlings, through changing the timing of insect emergence. Can our native songbirds cope with these changes?

You can help us find out!

If you find a nest, follow its progress, checking every 2-3 days, if possible (being careful not to disturb it!), and recording the contents each visit, until the young fledge or something else happens to it. By recording the number of eggs and young (including parasites such as cowbirds), you provide valuable information on laying date, clutch size, hatching success, numbers of young, and fledging success – all important parts of the life cycle of a bird. With these data, scientists will be able to monitor the impact of changes in parasites and predators, as well as climate change (global warming), habitat loss, and other factors. Early warning of problems is critical for developing appropriate management and conservation actions.

To submit your data, please contact your regional nest record schemes, or check their web page (if available). They will provide you with a supply of nest record cards with instructions on how to fill them in:

Newfoundland and Labrador Nest Records Scheme

John Maunder
The Newfoundland Museum,
Duckworth St., St. John's, Newfoundland
 jmaunder@mail.gov.nf.ca

Tony Erskine 
Canadian Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 6227, 17 Waterfowl Lane
Sackville, New Brunswick, E4L 1G6
tony.erskine@ec.gc.ca

Quebec Nest Records Scheme:

Michel Gosselin 
Canadian Museum of Nature
P.O. Box 3443, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6P4
mgosselin@mus-nature.ca

Ontario Nest Records Scheme:

George Peck 
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C6
T: 416-586-5523
peckonrs@bmts.com
Web: www.birdsontario.org/onrs

Manitoba Nest Records Scheme (also NWT,  Nunavut):

Jack Dubois 
Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
190 Rupert Ave.
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0N2
T: 204-988-0659
jack_dubois@manitobamuseum.mb.ca

Saskatchewan Nest Records Scheme:

Glenn Sutter 
Curator of Ornithology
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
2340 Albert St.,
Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3V7
T: 306-787-2859
gsutter@mach.gov.sk.ca

Alberta:

Glen Semenchuk 
Federation of Alberta Naturalists
Box 1472
Edmonton, Alberta, T5J 2N5
T: 780 427 8124, FAX: 780 422 2663
fan@connect.ab.ca
Web: www.fanweb.ca

Wayne Campbell,
B.C. Wild Bird Trust
P.O. Box 6218, Station C
Victoria, B.C., V8P 5L5
T: 250-477-0465

Yukon:

The Yukon Bird Club 
Box 31054 Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 5P7
ybc@yknet.yk.ca
Web:http://www.yukonweb.com/community/ybc/

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