Nest monitoring

Nest monitoring allows you to collect more detailed information about nest survival, nest outcomes, and causes of nest failure than surveys alone.

Nest monitoring

If you wish to collect more detailed information about nest survival, nest outcomes, and causes of nest failure than surveys alone allow, you may want to find and monitor individual pairs and nests. 

Wader nests take time, effort and patience to find, but with practice, it gets easier. Spending time in the field with more experienced nest-finders can be very helpful.

Once you have found a nest, you can monitor its progress by making intermittent visits to collect information about it. You can also use nest cameras and temperature loggers to provide more information about the outcomes of the nests you monitor. This is especially useful if you wish to identify the causes of nest failure or determine the main nest predator species.

download our in-depth nest monitoring guidance

Contact the Wader Hub

Get in touch

We can offer advice about any of the Hub’s supported methods, and about wader monitoring more widely.

  • waders [at] bto.org
Guides and resources

All our bespoke Wader Hub resources, from support for new projects to detailed information about survey techniques. 

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Link to British Trust for Ornithology Homepage
Link to Curlew Recovery Partnership England Homepage
Link to Working for Waders Homepage
Link to Esmeé Fairbairn Foundation Homepage


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