Photo by Chuck Price.

USI has maintained and monitored bird boxes on our campus since 1973. This effort is currently coordinated by Associate Professor of Biology Alex Champagne and Professor Emeritus Jim Bandoli. This project has provided insights into how nexting behavior changes with weather and climate changes in Southern Indiana.

Our cedar bird boxes are found along the trails south of campus near Reflection lake. Student researchers gain field and data analysis experience by checking the boxes regulraly for signs of nesting activity and the presence of chicks or eggs.

Photo by Jim Bandoli

Our students made an interesting discovery in one of our bird boxes. Carolina Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds don't usually share nests. However, a pair of chickadees kicked bluebird parents out of their nest and proceeded to lay their own eggs and raise both the chickadee and bluebird chicks! You can read more about this story in the Evansville Courier & Press.