Main Program:
Twenty Seasons of Nest Box Monitoring
Lee Pauser

As a volunteer, Lee Pauser has been building, installing, and monitoring nest boxes (a nest box is an artificial cavity) for twenty nesting seasons. The presentation includes photos and videos of the eighteen species of cavity nesting birds that have graced his nest boxes. His effort have resulted in 16,858 birds fledging of which 6,670 are Western Bluebirds.

Lee is a member of the California Bluebird Recovery Program (CBRP), Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS), and North American Bluebird Society (NABS). Data is collected during the nesting season, and provided to the Cavity Nesters Recovery Program (CNRP) and Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch Program. The latter makes detailed information available for scientific research.

The goal of the presentation is to excite and induce others to participate by providing and monitoring nest boxes to aid the cavity nesters. Natural cavities do exist, but can be lost due to development or natural disasters.

Bobcat on nest box

Photos: Lee Pauser