Wye Marsh Projects

Nest Box Monitoring

The Ontario Nest Record Scheme is a volunteer monitoring program organized by the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology and the Royal Ontario Museum, with close association to the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and Bird Studies Canada.

The ONRS provides a valuable method of tracking the health and status of Ontario's bird populations. Data collected can be used to monitor clutch size, hatching success, fledging success, predation rates and other factors over time, to determine whether sufficient numbers of young are being produced. As the data are entered into a central database, the breeding distribution of each species is documented.

Each year Wye Marsh researchers contribute data to the ONRS for the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) and wood duck (Aix sponsa) species. With a series of nesting boxes located in and around the Wye Marsh Management Cell, we are able to perform nest checks for both species. While Tree Swallow nest boxes are easily accessed by the walking berms and monitoring is performed from early April to late August (see photo of tree swallow young taken by Renée Moran), Wood Duck boxes are more difficult to access due to their height and proximity to open water. Thus Wood Duck box monitoring is performed during the winter months when the marsh is frozen.

This year, the Junior Naturalists and volunteers will perform regular nest checks of the Tree Swallow boxes. If you would like to learn about the life of birds, would like to contribute to the collection of scientific data of Ontario's bird populations, or you are interested in helping in any way, feel free to contact the Wye Marsh Stewardship Department.