What’s New at Wildlands
Adopt-A-Birdhouse: Using Citizen Science to Protect Local Bird Species
An Eastern Bluebird brings a meal back to its nesting box at Halfway Pond Conservation Area in Plymouth. Photo by Ken Grille.
By Rebecca Cushing, Stewardship & Volunteer Coordinator
Wildlands Trust works hard to protect and maintain meadow habitats where native birds, pollinators, and other wildlife thrive. Across several preserves with meadows, including Davis-Douglas Farm, Willow Brook Farm, Sylvester Field Conservation Area, Phillips Farm Preserve, Eel River Preserve, and Cushman Preserve, we have placed nesting boxes designed for Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. A small group of dedicated volunteers have monitored, cleaned, and maintained some of these boxes for years—but until this year, we have lacked a consistent way of collecting data and managing all of the boxes to best support our bird populations.
In March of 2026, our Stewardship & Volunteer Coordinator, Rebecca Cushing, worked with staff and volunteers to create a structured nesting box monitoring program. The Adopt-A-Birdhouse program will guide us in better management of our nest boxes, including weekly monitoring to collect and report meaningful ecological data and engage our volunteers in citizen science. During this nesting season from March through August, volunteers visited nest boxes and used NestWatch, an online database created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. NestWatch is a global citizen science effort, and data from the project has been used by scientists for long-term monitoring of nesting birds and can be used to document the effects of climate change, noise and light pollution, and other factors affecting breeding birds.
A Tree Swallow pair settles into a Wildlands nesting box
This year, our volunteers monitored 46 nest boxes across 6 preserves. These trained volunteers made an average of 15 visits to each box throughout the season, carefully performing nest checks. It was a rewarding season—with at least 185 eggs laid, 109 young observed, and at least 66 young observed having fledged their nests. We will continue to grow this program in 2027, furthering our work in our commitment to protect and support the wildlife we love.
If you are interested in joining the Adopt-A-Birdhouse program, or to discover other ways you can volunteer with Wildlands Trust, reach out at volunteer@wildlandstrust.org.
Eagle Scout Candidate Builds Bird and Bat Boxes at Sylvester Field
By Thomas Patti, Communications Coordinator
Hanover Boy Scouts Troop 38 at Sylvester Field.
Earlier this month, Hanover Boy Scout Jacob DeMong completed a multifaceted conservation project at Wildlands Trust’s Sylvester Field, putting him one step closer to the prestigious title of Eagle Scout.
“Environmentally beneficial projects are extremely important,” Jacob, 17, wrote to Wildlands stewardship staff Tess Goldmann and Owen Grey, who provided him with mentorship and support throughout the project. "I was overjoyed to get this opportunity.”
Jacob led Boy Scout Troop 38 from Hanover in installing eight Eastern Bluebird boxes and one bat box along the trail at Sylvester Field, a grassland parcel acquired by Wildlands Trust in 2021. The troop also cleared invasive vines and plants from the trees lining Washington Street, as well as cut back overgrowth from the woodland section of the trail.
New bird boxes at Sylvester Field.
If you would like to see the project for yourself, you’re in luck! Just this week, the Wildlands stewardship team began installing a boardwalk that will complete a 0.5-mile loop trail around the entire field. This addition will allow visitors to admire all of Jacob’s great work—and perhaps some winged creatures that he has already attracted to the property! Eastern Bluebirds nest from March to August, while bats rely on warm, clean, and secure places to rest, hibernate, and raise young year-round. On Tuesday, a Tree Swallow was spotted inside one of Jacob’s boxes! Be on the lookout for an official trail opening announcement in the coming weeks.
“We were really impressed with Jacob’s organization skills, as well as by the hard work of the Hanover Boy Scouts,” Tess said. “We are excited to see the boxes in use this season!”
Congratulations, Jacob, on this huge achievement! Thank you for making our community a place for people, birds, bats, and trees to thrive.
Jacob’s Eagle Scout project is one of several that Wildlands Trust has recently supported. If you are interested in completing your Eagle Scout project with us, contact our Stewardship Coordinator Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org.
Tree Swallow inside a bird box at Sylvester Field.