NestWatch eNewsletter - June 2011

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NestWatch eNewsletter June 2011
Photo by Susan Spear You say goodbye and I say hello After three years as project assistant for NestWatch/NestCams, Kenyon Widger has decided to pursue other ventures. Kenyon often was the public face of the program. She answered many of your emails and phone calls, posted information on our forums, spent countless hours reviewing NestCams footage for fascinating clips to share, and coordinated our NestCams hosts. She also served as the interim project leader. We'll miss her and wish her the best.  Photo by Sue Ofe Robyn Bailey is our newly-minted project assistant. Robyn earned an M.S. from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University where she studied the habitat relationships of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. She also has an extensive background working with birds, including searching for and monitoring nests in California and Mississippi. In addition to working for NestWatch/NestCams, Robyn also is the project assistant for our newest citizen science program, YardMap. Welcome aboard, Robyn!   Burrowing Owl by Shane Conklin Who are you? Who, who, who, who?   We really wanna know! Are you a fan of NestCams? We're working to make it even better and we need your help. As part of this effort, we're collecting information on who our NestCam viewers are. If you watch our NestCams it would be tremendously helpful to us if you could complete a brief survey, if you haven't already done so, by clicking on this link: NESTCAMS SURVEY. We will summarize the results and share them with you in a future eNewsletter. Thank you in advance for your help! Jason Courter NestWatch data in action The nesting data that you collect really do matter. Jason Courter, a PhD candidate in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Clemson University, is using NestWatch data in his research. He is comparing the timing of critical stages of nesting attempts with weather variables and the availability of food resources for birds, such as insects. Jason has hypothesized that some birds respond to climate changes by shifting the timing of their reproduction and that this may cause their hungry nestlings to miss peak periods of insect emergence. This pattern may lead to birds being less effective at contributing to the control of insect pests in farm fields. Jason hopes to use the results of his research to provide farmers with decision tools and management recommendations to enhance avian diversity on their farms. Thank you for your participation in NestWatch to help science and the birds!        Jason Martin NestWatch and NestCams project leader Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd Ithaca, NY 14850       The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab's website at http://www.birds.cornell.edu. Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca NY 14850 Questions or Comments? Call us toll-free at (800) 843-BIRD (2473) Privacy Policy Unsubscribe	NestCams This June 6 NestCam image shows the first egg laid in a Chimney Swift nest in  Glenham, New York. Life in the nests rolls on! Our NestCams show the Chimney Swift, Black-capped Chickadee, and Pacific Loon have laid eggs, the Tree Swallow eggs just hatched. The young Barn Owls and Black Vultures are growing up fast! NestCams is also featuring Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, and Wood Duck nests, and the Seabirds of Alaska camera is now live.   Monthly Winner At the beginning of each month, NestWatch randomly selects one participant to receive a copy of the NestWatch Common Nesting Birds of North America poster. This month's lucky winner is Diana Simpson. Congratulations, Diana!  There are lots of ways to stay in touch... • Need answers quickly regarding breeding biology or data entry? Visit our NestWatch forums page.  • Share your photos, stories, and videos with others. Join us on Facebook—it's free, fun, and easy! You can join our NestWatch and NestCams Facebook pages. • Add your images to the NestWatch suite of photos by joining the NestWatch Flickr group.   • Stay in touch with NestWatch news and events. Follow our tweets on Twitter for NestWatch and NestCams. NestWatch is a great way to get outdoors, enjoy nature, and contribute data to science.   Pledge your NestWatch support by making a donation.