Surprises'' in the nest

The Environmental Volunteers, in a moment of their route through the nest boxes of campus. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

The Environmental Volunteers of the University of Navarra have recently checked the status of the 16 nest boxes they placed a year ago in different locations of the campus, as part of the periodic review that is usually carried out in winter, the time when the birds are not in their nests.

According to one of its managers, biologist Ana Villarroya,"this check is important to ensure that the boxes are still in a good state of conservation. To do this, the material introduced by the birds in the previous year is emptied, since the remains harbor parasites that can affect the next year's chicks".

The volunteers also checked the number of occupied boxes, which amounted to three: "Although they may seem few, it is normal for many boxes to remain uninhabited". They were struck by the material used by the birds to make their nests:"Most of it was moss and plant debris, but we also found strands of jersey, strips of plastic and even phosphor pink artificial feathers.

This activity is supported by Caja Rural de Navarra, as well as the next action to be carried out by the Volunteers. It is a visit to the Sturnus falconry center, in Calahorra (La Rioja), next Saturday, February 18, with the goal to learn about the task of training and conservation of birds of prey developed in these facilities.