Hello folks! It has been a while since I posted anything to this group but after reviewing a couple of observations posted to the group, I figured I'd bring this up. Fill out the observation fields! This project is designed to be like the NestWatch program from Cornell, which askes you the following:

1. What was the status of the nest? (ex. completed, incomplete, flatten with fecal matter, etc.)
2. What was the status of the young? (ex. eggs, partially feathered, dead, etc.)
3. What was the status of the adults? (ex. building nest, remained on nest, flushed at nest, etc.)

I don't require these fields to be filled when you add your observation and that's because sometimes you can't obtain the following information. If a nest is in a tree cavity, you can't tell if there's eggs or if the nest is completed (though clues like adults with nesting materials or food can give clues). This is just an encouragement post to say, if you that information, add the observation fields!

Seems like a short duration but the project Active Nests is now a year old! Though looking back, I am amazed by how this project has grown despite the opposite in creating this project. Such comments I received were, there are many projects comprising nests, how is this any different? What benefit will this project serve that others wouldn't? Well, as I've said many times and with the title of the project self-explanatory, this is for active nests only. Though not being used currently by the host species are not allowed. Using only observations comprising nest building or young, we know the timeframe in which birds breed. Example being our 35 killdeer nests suggest most killdeer lay eggs in early spring, specifically April or May. Or Great Horned Owls start nesting in December or January in southern US but February and March in northern US.

What kind of achievements did this project obtain in its first year? One, we are just a couple species short of 500! That's half of all known species in the US and nest observations for about 5% of all bird species. I will like to hope we can double that or more in the next year. We also have over 3,600 observations of nests, which is huge! Our top five most observed species is the Eastern Bluebird, Great Horned Owl, American Robin, Barn Swallow and Anna's Hummingbird. I think these numbers are partial biased to me as I do go on id runs of species I know well looking for nest observations to confirm.

I have been considering adding a project curator to help me manage the boatload of observations coming in. Yes, I have been the one adding a ton of observations but many new members are submitting observations of empty nests and this is skewing any data that might be presented. So someone who is actively participating and or feels confident in the project's perimeters may ask me for admin status. Lets break some records in the next year folks!

With this project becoming more popular than I ever anticipated, I'm having a little trouble keeping up with the constant additions to the project. Though I've mentioned this before, I believe it's time to give another reminder to observers before they add their sighting.

Active Nests is only for active nests. This means there is current activity at the nest site, such as eggs, young, building or even managing nests. I've added three winter observations this year, a Cooper's Hawk bringing a twig to a nest that she has probably used for years, a juvenile Red-tailed pairing itself up with an adult in a known nest as they gathered twigs and managed the nest, and finally a pair of Bald Eagles just sitting in the nest, not doing anything but nevertheless in the nest. These should be the only exceptions to submitting a winter nest observation.

Why is it so important that nests have to be "active" to be in this project? Anyone can find a bird's nest in the winter time. Leaves are gone and you see the remnants of the summer season, but other than location and environment, it doesn't contribute much scientific data. The propose of Active Nests is to measure the timeframe in which birds breed. For example, through this project, we can see that Eastern Bluebirds can have eggs or young in their nest anywhere from February to November. They typically lay 4-6 blue eggs, occasionally white. The propose of this project is to monitor the species' presence at the nest site. As of lately, I'm seeing tons of robin nests that are clearly empty and in winter months. This is not the project to be sending those observations. These sightings will be much more appropriate for Bird Nests of North American or Eggs and Nests.

I think the users that have contributed so far and as a recommendation for next year, find the nests I mentioned about before. Birds often use nests year after year and you can come back in the summertime. If it's a species that builds a new nest every year, judge how the environment is like for old nests and see how to apply that knowledge to finding new nests. Winter is a great time to start getting some notes down. Good luck everyone!

With Eastern Bluebirds now starting to build their nests, undoubtingly all other cavity nesters are bond to start their nests and I feel I need to explain to members of the project what to do if you are to check a bird box. So here we go!

North American Cavity Nesters are Protected Under the MBTA

All native species cavity and non-cavity nesters included are all protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1917 in the US and the Migratory Birds Convention Act in Canada. All native species within these realms are protected under these laws. Specifically, the acts prohibits a person from possessing, importing, exporting, transporting, selling, purchasing any bird, bird parts, nests or eggs without proper permits. In a nutshell, that means you can't even touch a bird's nest without proper permits and any kind of disturbance is a violation of the law. And for me and in this project, if anyone is suspected of harmful behavior towards a nest will be contacted privately, unless otherwise stated that you have permits required to do so.

Follow the Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct is a list provided by Cornell's NestWatch program to study nesting birds. These rules should be strictly followed which is why I require members to read the Code of Conduct before joining the project. This is a complete honesty requirement so I really hope you read it. If not, this list includes:

• Learn about birds nesting behavior before checking the nest
• Plan and prepare your visit
• Collect data carefully
• Do not check in early morning
• Avoid checking nests in first days of incubation
• Do not approach nest nearing fledgling date
• Do not check during bad weather
• Do not check nests at or after dusk
• Search carefully
• Be wary of nest predators
• Minimize nest disturbance
• Do not handle nestlings, eggs or nest material
• Don't leave a dead-end trail
• Respect Private Land
• Follow MTBA and MTCA laws

Further reading at https://nestwatch.org/learn/how-to-nestwatch/code-of-conduct/

Checking Nest Boxes

As long as you follow the guidelines up here, checking a box will not violate the MTBA and MTCA laws. However, I've acquire a few tips to help minimize disturbance to the nest and increase the chances of nest success while still being able to check on the box. Here's is my series of rules:

1. Obtain permission to check boxes. If you see boxes you want to check, ALWAYS get permission from the land owner beforehand.
2. Only check nest boxes with Cornell's hinged door design, as soon in the last page of the following link. I have seen some funky nests in my time and one time I didn't realize a box I checked was a hooked bottom not a hinged side. When the bottom flew down I thought I killed some nestlings but the result was much more gruesome (second link) and from that moment on, I told myself if it didn't have that distinct hinged side or door, don't check it.

https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/features-of-a-good-birdhouse/
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25361229

1. Tap the box before opening. It's a lot less stressful for mothers to have the box tapped than immediate opening. Nothing hard, just two very gentle taps to the side and allow room for the mother to fly out if she wants to. Remember not all will fly out.
2. Time. Once you tap the box, the clock is on. You have 60 SECONDS to do your visit.
3. Photograph and Go. For me, the most effective way to check the nest is just don't look into the box. I have my photo ready as soon as I get out of the car and when I open the box, I just snap and go without looking into. This makes the 60 second visit much quicker and minimizes disturbance.
4. Remember to lock the box back up. Know that Boy Scout saying, "Leave No Trace"? That's what you should do when you check a box. Leave the box the way you saw it. Lock the hinged door back up, always!
5. Never run. Sudden motions can scare mothers or chicks. Never run to the box or away from the box.
6. Endoscopes are lifesavers. Endoscopes is a cord with a tiny camera at the end. Just place the camera into the box enough to see what's in it with a low LED setting and behold, you don't even have to open the box. Cheap ones can be bought online and there's a brand called Lizard Cam from As Seen on TV which is actually pretty decent.
7. Respect parents wises. If the parents squawk at you or even attack you, finish the visit. Lock up the box and leave.

Final Words

Please be considerate of nest boxes, cavity nester populations have declined by 25% in the last 50 years so we need to take special precautions in checking boxes. And personally, I would leave the box alone if it means the safety of the parents. Thank you for reading and good luck in the 2020 breeding season.

First off, I would like to thank all of those who have joined this project and I really appreciate the time you've taken to join the project and save me some time to add your observations. I would've never expected my project to be this big a week after its creation. So once again, I thank you for your time.

Unfortunately, after a week, I've already encounter some problems with the project and I want to address the issue before it becomes such a big problem, I can't fix it. I had to remove a bunch of observations this morning because they fell short of project requirements. The first example being, I received a bunch of reptile eggs like turtles and snakes. And if you go to the About section of Active Nests, the first statement I made in regards to the project is, "This project is to compile all "active" nest observations of birds across the world."

So the clarification here is, this project is only for bird nests or eggs and nothing else. All nests or eggs that are not birds, such as reptiles, amphibians or insects, will be removed from the project.

Second problem I've encounter is well... there's no nice way to say it. I've also been seeing eggshells or nest-less eggs being added to the project. So here's the clarification. This is a project for active nests, not evidence of nesting. Adding these observations muck up data because we're trying to understand when birds breed. So if you add an eggshell or even an old nest in October when the species is a May-August breeder, that messes with the data. So once again, I plead with the fact this is only for active nests. If you have eggshells, old nests or anything else, there are plenty of other nest projects to submit them to. All sightings of inactive nests, eggshells or nest-less (unless its a species that normally does not build a nest like shorebirds) eggs will be removed from the project.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/eggs-nests-n-america
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/eggs-and-nests
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bird-nests-of-north-america

Third and last problem I've encountered. Inviable eggs does not count as an "active" nest. So if you make an observation of an inviable (dead or unhatched) egg, such as Tree Swallow, in a Minnesota December, it does not meet project requirements because it's not active. That's because Tree Swallows appear to be a very strict May-July breeder and eggs hatch in about 14-17 days. They'll migrate out of Minnesota in September, so if that egg in December was going to hatch, it would've hatched long before then. Any observations that show probable inviable eggs will be removed from the project.

That's all the problems I've encountered and all of these observations that fail to meet project requirements will affect the data I'm trying to collect. Your diligence in following these requests are greatly appreciated. For those who haven't joined the project yet will now have additional "Terms and Rules" to agree to when they join. Before now, I only had the rule that you agree to follow the Code of Conduct in watching bird nests. The terms are now as followed:

"By joining this project, you agree to follow the protocols presented in the "Code of Conduct" presented by Cornell's NestWatch project, to maximize the chances of a successful nesting attempt. To read the Code of Conduct:

https://nestwatch.org/learn/how-to-nestwatch/code-of-conduct/

All observations added must be Aves (Birds) and be an active nest. Meaning parents building/fixing nest, eggs or young in nest. Inviable (dead) eggs or deceased young do not meet project requirements."

Once again, I thank you for joining the project and I hope my attitude in this post hasn't deterred you from your contributions to the project. I just want to make sure the project continues down the course it was meant to follow, otherwise it would be no different than the projects I've listed above. Thank you for understanding.

I spent most of today researching and cross examining photos of US/Canada Turdidae (thrushes) nests. I got the idea of making posts like this from a comment @beartracker made on the neglect of a nest/egg field guide. I will be posting more of these nest/egg identification posts but for now, I'm starting out small and doing it family by family. So here you go!

Bluebirds-- Genus Salia

There are three species of Salia or bluebirds, the Eastern (S. salia), Western (S. mexicana) and Mountain (S. currucoides). They are fairly easy to identify because they are the only thrushes that nest in cavities or birdboxes. I've even seen a few iNat observations of bluebirds even nesting in hollow metal gate polls. Nests are usually made entirely of fine grasses and straw. Eggs are a vivid blue though white clutches can occur.

Since nesting sites, materials, eggs and even nestlings are nearly, if not, identical among the three bluebirds, most sightings will have to be identified by range. Mountain Bluebird eggs are however on the lighter blue of the spectrum, so darker blue eggs in western US are going to be Western Bluebirds. But since Western Bluebird eggs vary from dark blue to white, all other eggs are best left at genus unless a parent was spotted.

Brooding Periods:
Eastern Bluebird -- Feb-Oct -- 3-5 eggs
Western Bluebird -- Apr-Aug -- 2-8 eggs
Mountain Bluebird -- Apr-Sep -- 4-8 eggs

Eastern Bluebird Eggs (blue and white) along with nearly fledged young.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6891991
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21835712
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30339752

Western Bluebird Eggs and half-grown nestlings.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25361200
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24642607

Mountain Bluebird Eggs (blue and white).
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6415727
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26904397

Solitaires Myadestes

There's only one breeding species of solitaire in US and it's the Townsend's Solitaire (M. townsendi) of western US. They are the most unique nesting thrush in North America because they are the only thrush that lays white or cream colored eggs with brown speckling, very similar to Passerellidae or New World Sparrows. They make a nest made of pine needles and grasses on top of a cutbank. Forest roads that cut into the mountain are perfect places to look for a nest. Eggs or young can be found in nests between May and July. Here's a couple photos of eggs in nests.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13105721
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6842002

Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius

No need to explain what species this is. unfortunately, no photos showing nests or eggs. Varied Thrush nest are hard to come by, since they nest in dense, thick, wet mature forests. They seem to always nest in young pines close to the trunk with the nest contains being moss, mud and grasses. Eggs are blue with black speckling.

Brown Thrushes Catharus and Hylocichla

There are seven species of brown thrushes breeding in North America and in taxonomic order; Veery (C. fuscescens), Gray-cheeked Thrush (C. mimimus), Bicknell's Thrush (C. bucknelli), Swainson's Thrush (C. ustulatus), Hermit Thrush (C. guttatus) and Wood Thrush (H. mustelina). Since eggs and nests are so similar among the species, I think this graph will better illustrate how to identify nest and eggs.

Ground nest with solid blue eggs -- Veery and Hermit Thrush
Ground nest with blue eggs with speckles -- Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush (speckling rare) and Gray-cheeked Thrush (ground nesting rare)
Bush/tree nest with solid blue eggs -- Hermit Thrush (western US only) and Wood Thrush
Bush/tree nest with blue eggs with speckles -- Gray-cheeked Thrush, Bicknell's Thrush, Swainson's Thrush (tree nesting rare) and Hermit Thrush (speckling rare).

When given this information, you can cut down 7 species, though you probably have less in your state/province, to 2 or 3 species. Keep in mind that breeding behavior for Hermit Thrushes differs geographically with western US birds typically nesting in shrubs or trees while eastern US birds are ground nesters.

Veery nest with eggs, including a cowbird egg. Note that cowbirds strongly parasitized Veery and this can be used for identification.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/32429131

Gray-cheeked Thrush nest with incubating mother.
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/478063#_ga=2.9695223.374957309.1581564560-1175263981.1555651889

Bicknell's Thrush nestlings.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/173108

Swainson's Thrush eggs.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30180919

Hermit Thrush eggs.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11472489
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/173085

Wood Thrush eggs with cowbird egg.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5613925

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Robins are fairly easy to identify nests. They are only North America thrush that nests in trees with the exception of the Wood Thrush. They also have a tendency to nest on eaves, buildings and wherever urban. The best way to identify their nest from a Wood Thrush is that robin nests are made of grass and mud while Wood Thrush use grass and leaves.

American Robin eggs and a building nest with nearly fledged young.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10746503
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3318345

And those are the thrushes of North America. Hope this helps!