Opportunities From: Calvert Stewards

For Volunteers, Ages 13 and up, under 18 with trained adult

Volunteers will check all nest boxes including the ones accessed on land and will report data to NestWatch.

Important:

1. Volunteers must first attend a Cypress Swamp Training opportunity in order to qualify to monitor nest boxes there.

2.Volunteers will need to bring their own waders. The monitoring bucket will be placed in the fenced in area behind the pavilion.  Please close the gate after you have gotten the tools you need.

3. Nest boxes cannot be checked within 2 days of another nest check.  Before responding to an opportunity make sure that no one has responded to an opportunity 2 days before or 2 days afterwards. 

4. Although the start time is advertised as 9:00 am, you may monitor nest boxes any time during park hours. To ensure volunteers can complete the box monitoring we ask that you please begin no later than 2.5 hours before the park closes.

5. If another volunteer has signed up for the date you're interested in, please pick another date, even if it says there is another slot open that day.  The max capacity of 2 allows multiple family members or 2 friends to monitor nest boxes together. 

Location: Battle Creek Cypress Swamp

Naturalist in charge:  Gene Groshon

For Further Information Contact: Gene Groshon, Gene.Groshon@calvertcountymd.gov (preferred) or 410-535-5327

For Volunteers 15 years old and up

Location: Battle Creek Cypress Swamp

Time/season: Surveys may be conducted April 1 - Sept 30, from park open time until 1.5 hours before park close time

Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Hours: 

Labor Day through Memorial Day

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday: 1-4:30 p.m.

 Memorial Day through Labor Day

Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday: 1-6:00 p.m.

Naturalist in charge:  Gene Groshon

For more information Contact: Gene Groshon, Gene.Groshon@calvertcountymd.gov (preferred) or 410-535-5327 

Each Prothonotary Warbler (PROW) that we capture at Battle Creek is fitted with a unique combination of bands on its legs. Every bird receives a silver aluminum band on it’s lower right leg; this band has a tiny number on it that corresponds to a national database. The other bands seen on our banded PROWs are plastic color bands that are unique to each individual bird. This allows staff, volunteers and visitors to be able to identify individual birds just using their binoculars or camera!  Using the data we collect from the resighting of color banded birds we will have a better understanding of their territory size, lifespans, breeding activity, and nest site fidelity. We need citizen scientists (like you) to report any banded birds that they see. 

Conducting your survey

Binoculars are necessary to ensure you can see the bands and the correct colors Cameras are highly recommended to help with documenting the sightings and confirming the bands. Although the time slot is advertised from 9am-4 pm, you may conduct a survey any time that day during park hours.  Surveys may be conducted April through September Surveys should not be conducted during thunderstorms or extreme winds You may walk any direction around the boardwalk but must complete at least one lap. If you would like to turn around and do it again that is fine too. When you find a color banded prothonotary be sure to note which numbered yellow sign on the boardwalk you were closest to.   

Data should be emailed to Gene at gene.groshon@calvertcountymd.gov 

Recording data

There are several ways to record data

We will still be collecting data using the application created by our GIS department which can be found here!  In addition to submitting data through the application please also send data directly to Gene by one of the below methods.  

Include the info listed below in an email directly to GeneDownload the fillable pdf and then email form to Gene Print a copy of the Prothonotary Warbler Survey brochure (to print double sided, flip on short edge). scan an email, or mail, or drop off at Battle Creek. Record the data on your own paper, in a notebook or on your phone. Below is a description of the data needed for each sighting of a banded bird during your survey Date Sighting Time Color of band on upper right leg (it could not have a band) Color of band on lower left leg Color of band on upper right leg Number on nearest yellow sign Inside or Outside of boardwalk loop Behavior observed: feeding, preening, singing, calling, carrying nesting material, feeding young, entering a nest box any additional comments

Data should be emailed to Gene.groshon@calvertcountymd.gov 

Reminders:

If you spot a banded bird, try to see the band colors and their arrangement on the bird. Remember if a bird is facing you, it’s right leg will be on your left side. If you can’t see or can’t remember the arrangement that’s okay! Still write down your observations and make a note of this in the comment area provided. The color bands that we’ve used are: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, White, Black, Light Brown and Gray. Some birds may not have a color above the aluminum bird band on the right leg. Some birds may only have 1 color band on their left legSome birds may only have an aluminum band and no color bands. There are yellow numbered signs every 30 feet along the boardwalk. Use the number on the sign to let us know where you saw each banded bird.

Scheduling & Reporting Hours: Depending on the specific project surveys may be done at any site the volunteer chooses (BBA, GBBC) or in specific assign regions (CBC).  Volunteers may report their hours through this opportunity and mention the project and location in the notes.   

Examples of Bird Surveys include:

Christmas Bird Counts (CBC): Each winter, volunteers from all over the U.S. conduct bird counts for the National Audubon Society. Now more than 100 years running, the Count provides important data on the long term trends of bird populations in our area.  Calvert County participates in 2 of these Counts. The Jug Bay circle encompasses the northern third of the County and the Patuxent River Count extends into the southern third. Count dates usually occur the third Sunday of December and the Sunday following Christmas respectively. More info on CBC here Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC): An annual project run by Cornell Lab or Ornithology that happens every February. Participants just need to spend 15 minutes counting the number of birds seen at their feeder or in their yard on one of the given days and submit through eBird. More info on GBBC here Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA): A four-year survey of the breeding birds of Maryland and Washington, DC.  Birders are assigned very specific areas to search for all nesting species. Nesting behavior such as bringing material or food to a possible nest, or observing fledglings ready to fly, must be observed and recorded.  The MD DC BBA has been conducted on 1983-1987, 2002-2006 and 2020-2024.  The next MD DC BBA would be likely around 2040.

Contact Gene Groshon at gene.groshon@calvertcountymd.gov for additional information or to participate. 

The Barn Owl nest boxes need routine maintenance outside of the nesting season. Activities can include trimming vegetation around the nesting area, repairing boxes, or moving or adding boxes.

If you performed maintenance as part of a routine nest box monitoring visit, please respond to the Barn Owl Nest Box Monitoring 

For Further Information Contact: Andy Brown, 3.andrew.brown@gmail.com or

Karen Anderson r_otters1@msn.com

SCHEDULE: at the monitor's discretion, and is an ongoing yearly project. Time per visit expected to be 3 hours. 

VOLUNTEER DUTIES
Volunteers will meet at designated locations and complete duties. Tasks include:

Weekly nest monitoring beginning in March through September. Duties Include: Completing provided training on nest box monitoring protocol Driving around the county to different box locations Identifying species nesting in box Counting eggs, hatchlings, fledglings and adults Recording data on a standard data collection form Submitting data to Program Manager at the end of the season Promoting the project and the importance of Eastern Bluebirds to others Building new nest boxes Cleaning and repairing older nest boxes Helping to install boxes at approved locations around the county

SKILLS & ABILITIES: Some walking involved.

TRAINING: New volunteers will meet with the Program Manager or attend a scheduled training.

REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS
Volunteers may need to:

Hike across wetlands, ponds, creeks and uneven and overgrown terrain to get to box locations Be exposed to ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, bees/wasps, poison ivy, bad weather, and other wildlife

PROJECT DATES Specific dates for each season will be selected by the program leaders based on weather patterns and regional activities of wood ducks. Updates will be emailed to volunteers who have responded to this opportunity.

For Further Information Contact: Karyn Molines, 410-535-5327 Karyn.Molines@calvertcountymd.gov