2025 LRWP Nest Box Monitoring Training

​It is that time of year again, the time when Master Naturalists and volunteers to preserves, land trusts, and state and national parks train to participate in Citizen Science projects. Citizen Science is a standardized way for non-scientists to collect data, record the data and then report the data to the assigned university or agencies responsible for the project. For naturalists this may include gathering data on ecosystems, plants, animals, or the skies. There are tools and apps for many of the projects. There are protocols on how to gather data without harming the environment or species being studied. Eagle Marsh has several citizen science projects they participate in.
 
On March 19, 2025, at the white barn at Eagle Marsh, Nancy Kilduski provided training on Nest Box Monitoring. The lead agency for providing protocols and gathering reports is the Cornell Ornithology Lab. The Cornell Lab also provides a Code of Conduct. Nancy provides this training yearly. The data collected changes. Together with information collected regionally and nationally, this provides a picture for the Cornell Lab to assess the declining, increasing, or stabilizing populations of birds in North America.
 
The beginning of the 2025 training video uses video from Nancy’s 2024 training. This is due to technological issues to complicated to explain to the average reader (I forgot to push the record button).  One of the first differences between the last two trainings was in the trail nest box monitoring. Last year the boxes had mice nests that had to be cleaned out. This year the boxes were completely empty and ready for birds to begin nest building.
 
Little River Wetlands Project has five trails that total 35 nest boxes. This includes a trail at Arrowhead Preserve and at Eagle Marsh.
 
If you are interested in becoming a Nest Box Monitor but were unable to attend the March 15th training then please watch these videos and then contact LRWP. They can also give you information on other Citizen Science projects including Monarch Monitoring, Butterfly Monitoring, Bat box Monitoring, Turtle Tracking, and assisting with the Hoosier Riverwatch Testing.

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