ITHACA, N.Y. — Spring is here and that means new life all around including nesting birds. The NestWatch project at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology invites people to monitor bird nests near you and share in the lives of birds from nest building to fledging.

NestWatch has been documenting when and where birds have nested for 60 years. The data shared with NestWatch helps scientists better understand how environmental changes affect the success of birds as they raise their young.

Joining NestWatch is free, and it only takes about 15 minutes to learn how to participate, keeping the safety of the birds in mind. Simply find a bird’s nest or monitor a nest box and begin recording details about the number of eggs, nestlings, and fledglings, along with key dates such as when the eggs hatch and when young leave the nest.

NestWatchers say they find the activity personally satisfying and an opportunity to learn so much more about birds. It adds up to a wealth of scientific information about breeding birds and how their lives are altered by human activities.

“The widespread declines among many bird populations are well established now,” said NestWatch project leader Robyn Bailey, “but with the information we get from participants, we can better understand the reasons behind these trends. And we need the public’s help in reversing the trends.” NestWatch focuses its research efforts on things that we can all do to support more nesting birds.

The long-term data from NestWatch will paint a clearer picture of how birds are responding to environmental stressors, as well as reveal everyday actions we can take to help them raise their young, such as landscaping with native plant species, providing sturdy nest boxes, and keeping pesticides out of the environment.

To learn more and to join the project, visit NestWatch.org. Register on the website or through the free NestWatch app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play, available in both English and Spanish.