Whereas Nest Box Challenge is aimed at monitoring nest boxes in your back gardens or local green space, the Nest Record Scheme participants follow the breeding attempts of all our wild breeding birds wherever they find them. In total, the nests of 232 species have been recorded since the NRS began.

The information recorded is almost identical to that collected for Nest Box Challenge – we want to know what species built the nest, where it is and what sort of habitat it’s in, and we also ask participants to record the number of eggs and chicks at regular intervals throughout the breeding season. The information is recorded on standard paper forms, and the Nest Record Scheme Handbook gives information on how to fill them in.

So, if you’ve found a nest that isn’t in a nest box – a Song Thrush in a hedge or a Collared Dove in a tree, perhaps - and you’d like to monitor it, why not have a look at the Nest Record Scheme web-pages and see what the survey has to offer!