---

Prothonotary warbler

Photo courtesy Bill Stripling, Jackson Audubon Society

In the year 2000, the Jackson Audubon Society began placing nest boxes for Prothonotary Warblers around Lefleur’s Bluff State Park, along the Pearl River in Jackson.  More recently, the conservation project has placed nest boxes near the river north of the park at Fannye Cook Natural Area, and above the Barnett Reservoir in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area.  These boxes provide nesting cavities that help replace the natural tree cavities in riverside and swampy forests missing due to habitat loss.  The nest boxes are cleaned and repaired each year in late winter or early spring.  As of 2019, Audubon Society volunteers monitor fifteen of the forty-plus boxes each week of nesting season,  recording numbers of eggs and chicks, observing parenting behavior and measuring nesting material.  The data is provided to Audubon Louisiana, where it is compared to similar projects, all with the goal of learning more about Prothonotary Warblers and reversing the declining population numbers.

Prothonotary warbler nest box usage, Jackson Audubon Society