In 2013, we asked for your help to provide a good home for Brown-headed Nuthatches near you. Today, thanks to YOU, North Carolina has 10,000 more nest boxes to support this priority species. 

This was a tremendous goal, and we met it in just two years! When Audubon North Carolina’s network comes together, we are able to make significant strides in bird conservation.

The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a priority species and a bird at risk of severe population decline due to habitat loss and urbanization. With amazing collaboration from individuals, Audubon Chapters, the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group and bird stores across our state, we’ve been able to help this squeaky, southern bird find more places to call home and raise the next generation.

Celebrating Our Chapters and Communities

Reaching our goal to put up 10,000 nest boxes wasn’t easy. The community support for nuthatches has been outstanding. Individuals, community groups, local and state parks, churches, schools and scout groups, and our Audubon chapters, all came together to help make this goal a reality.

Mecklenburg Audubon distributed nearly 2,000 boxes by working with their local community partners including the Mecklenburg County Natural Resources Department, as well as the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. From Winston-Salem to Raleigh, our chapters across the piedmont distributed an additional 1,000 boxes! And on the coast, the Cape Fear Audubon Society donated 150 nest boxes to golf courses and university campuses throughout Wilmington.

This effort means that there will be more of this beloved southern bird. In fact, just one nest box occupied by nuthatches could produce 21 more nuthatches in the next 10 years. Imagine the impact of all 10,000 nest boxes to help this species.

Creating Climate Solutions

We met this amazing goal, but our work doesn’t stop at 10,000. As bird lovers, we need to create even more places for this squeaky little bird to call home as our state faces the growing impact of climate change.

During our campaign to put up more homes, we learned from Audubon’s Birds & Climate Change Report that 95 percent of its current range could become uninhabitable by 2080 due to climate change. From 2 to 200 to 2,000 – every nest box installed helps build more bird-friendly communities across our state and helps this tiny southern bird find a home as our climate changes and their ranges shift.

Thank you again for welcoming the Brown-headed Nuthatch to your yard. Our southern hospitality is evident for this charming little bird.

Nuthatches need more nest boxes today, so we can enjoy them for generations to come. To learn more about putting up a nest box in your yard, visit our website. Let’s see how quickly we can reach another 10,000!