A seasonal conservation tradition has returned to the fields of the Norman Bird Sanctuary, where staff and volunteers are installing and monitoring 318 bird boxes this spring as part of the Middletown sanctuary’s annual field research and habitat restoration program.
The Nest Box Monitoring Program, a cornerstone of the sanctuary’s research efforts, provides data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as migratory birds return to Rhode Island.
“Our bird box program is a long-standing pillar of the research we conduct here,” said Science Coordinator Sara Poirier, who leads the program. “Managing 318 boxes across this landscape allows us to track long-term trends in avian health and reproductive success. It’s a massive undertaking that happens every year, and the data we gather is instrumental in tracking the health of our local ecosystems.”
The program addresses the threat of habitat loss by providing reliable nesting sites for cavity-nesting species such as tree swallows, bobolinks and bluebirds. Throughout the spring and summer, Poirier works alongside students and volunteers to conduct nest checks twice a week, documenting the process from nest building to fledging.
The sanctuary operates the labor-intensive program with support from donors who adopt a bird box at the Chickadee, House Wren or Tree Swallow levels. For the 2026 season, the sanctuary has already raised more than $4,500 for the research program. In return, supporters receive a personalized activity report detailing the nesting success of their assigned box and free registration for the NestWatch workshop, where participants learn the science behind professional bird monitoring.
More information about the program, including how to adopt a bird box, is available at NormanBirdSanctuary.org/Education/Adopt-A-Bird-Box-Program.
Located on 300 acres in Middletown, the Norman Bird Sanctuary is a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary and environmental education center that has worked to protect local habitats and provide community learning opportunities since 1949.
