Whether you want to report your nest observations to Nestwatch, or you want to keep an eye on the safety of your birds, it’s important to find a way to monitor your bird nest boxes with minimal disturbance. The best way to monitor your birdhouse with next to no disturbance is with a wireless nest camera as they give you full view of the nest without needing to open the box. Other ways to monitor your nest box are to add a cell phone slot or careful physical monitoring, but there are some downsides to those options.
When talking about nest box cameras, we’ll talk more specifically about the Blink brand cameras. So far, they are the best option we have found for nest box monitoring. We highlight some of the important features that make them ideal in this article so you can see for yourself why they might be the best option for your birdhouse.
The ease of monitoring with a birdhouse camera
A mounted birdhouse camera just makes monitoring your nest box so much easier. These cameras are motion activated, and will film activity when triggered.
What this means when it comes to monitoring your nest box is that you don’t have to come up to the nest once a week, knock, and hope the mother bird doesn’t get too upset. Instead, from start to finish, you have a device that captures the entire nesting process.
We recommend the Blink camera system for this. It’s a small, wireless motion capture video camera that mounts easily in a bird nest box. These cameras also offer the advantage of night vision, which means you can see any nocturnal events as well. Another great benefit to this camera is that it syncs to your phone with an app, giving you notifications when video is captured.
Blink cameras are available on Amazon, and cost about $100 for the system, a price that is totally worth it.
The one downside to birdhouse cameras
There really is only one small downside to monitoring with a birdhouse camera: If you didn’t order and install before nesting took place, you’ll have to wait for the next round.
The goal is to monitor with as little disturbance as possible, so if a nest has already been built in your birdhouse, you really can’t install a nest camera.
The only time it might be possible without risking too much is if you have a hinged top-opening box. If you can flip open the lid and quickly install while the birds are out collecting material, you might be safe.
This late installation might be ok to do if you’re monitoring bluebirds; however, we do not recommend this for skittish birds like chickadees and nuthatches. You never want a bird to abandon its nest.
If you missed your chance, you still should probably get your camera. That way you have it ready for the next round. Some birds have multiple broods per season meaning that if you missed installation for your first brood, you can get your camera installed in time for the next broods.
For chickadees, who have only one brood per year, if they’ve nested successfully this year, there is a high chance they’ll come back the next year to nest. So be ready with your camera. Not only will you easily be able to monitor your birdhouse without bugging these little guys, you’ll get some darling video captures.
Birdhouse cell phone slots
A birdhouse cell phone slot is just an opening at one of the sides of your nest boxes that permits you to slide your phone through in order to snap a picture.
A cell phone slot for your nest box is the next monitoring method that really minimizes disturbances. You can quickly walk up to the nest, gently knock, then slide your phone in to capture a few pictures. No need to spend more than 30 seconds at the box with this method. And you don’t have to open the box, which might make a watching mother bird very nervous.
But there are a few downsides to this method.
- You have to actually modify your box to have the slot, either by cutting the hole into the box or sliding one of your sides down lower, and cutting off the end.
- The wider opening may allow more rain into the box, which can be fatal to your birds. If you do modify your box, you might want to ensure there is a good overhang on the side with the cell phone slot.
- You can’t easily monitor the health of the birds or the nest. A quick cell phone capture won’t always give you enough details about what’s going on in the nest that could be threatening. You won’t easily see blowflies or carpenter ants, and you may not get as good of a visual on the babies to ensure they’re looking healthy.
- Just like the next camera, you can’t modify your box once nesting has started.
We think it’s a goodish option. But once again, the nest cameras are definitely the best option for nest monitoring.
Physical nest box monitoring
Physical box monitoring involves opening up your birdhouse and inspecting the nest and nestlings inside for no more than a minute at a time that won’t disturb the parent birds.
Physical nest monitoring is probably still the most common approach, especially along a nest trail. When doing this, you don’t want to spend more than a minute at each box. You also don’t want to approach the box in the mornings when the mother could be laying her eggs or in the evenings when she’s roosting or incubating.
It’s also advised not to physically monitor the box during the incubation period.
Certain birds like eastern bluebirds are more tolerant of this type of monitoring. Chickadees can sometimes tolerate physical monitoring, but they are known to have a higher nest abandonment rate.
Because physical monitoring involves approaching and opening the boxes up, there are a lot more considerations involved:
- Timing: as mentioned – afternoons are the best time to approach the box. And it is recommended to not approach a nest during the incubation period.
- Path: you want to take a different path each time you approach your nest so that you reduce the chances of predators learning about the birdhouse.
- Temperament: If you know your birds are shy, take extra care – and again, this is where a nest camera is a better option.
There are many upsides to this type of monitoring. With physical nest monitoring, you get to see up close how the nest and nestlings are doing. Your checks will reveal if there are any signs of insect infestations that must be dealt with. Physical monitoring also lets you really see the behavior of your birds and their little personalities.
But one of the biggest downsides to this method is scaring your bird to a point they either abandon the nest or choose not to nest at that box a second time.
Verdict – Nest cameras are the best way to monitor your nest
Nest cameras offer the best way to monitor your nest box. The Blink camera in particular is relatively inexpensive for what it is, and completely minimizes disturbing your nest.
Cell phone slots are a good option if you don’t want to disturb your nest, but they don’t give you the whole picture and require some major birdhouse modifications.
Physical monitoring gives you a better picture of what’s happening in your nest, but can cause too much disturbance. However, with a lot of care, you do reduce the risk of abandonment.
We ultimately suggest doing physical monitoring until you can install a camera in your box. If you have a very skittish bird, just monitor the outside of the nest at a distance. Watch for activity and signs of predators.
