The Bird Haven Ranch Nestbox Highway was established in September 2018 with 31 artificial hanging nest boxes installed that imitate the holes in trees that cavity-nesting birds require to raise their young. These boxes were placed in the riparian zones of the ranch located in eastern Glenn County, California. In early 2020, nine more nest boxes were installed in the South Meadow Oak Woodland, increasing the total to 40 nest boxes.  In 2021, an additional 5 boxes were added to bring the total to 45 boxes. As a combined conservation, research, and environmental education project, the boxes installed help augment regional bird populations while serving as a platform for collecting detailed observations on nesting activity. The project also provides training and field experience for Museum undergraduate interns, our next generation of wildlife professionals. To learn more about our nestbox internships, click here. By monitoring sites weekly and measuring and banding nestlings, we are able to keep track of species occupancy as well as nest status, productivity, and fledgling dispersal. To date we have banded almost 400 nestlings of two species, House Wren and Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Bird Haven 2020 Report