Birds nest ferns are very susceptible to rot, especially if you water over the top of the crown. Another interesting thing is that the root mass is very small relative to the above ground part of the plant. If you have over-potted the plant then obviously you increase your risk of rot and various other bacterial/fungal infections.

Over the years I have gravitated to a mix of orchid bark and peat moss. This is very free draining but retains enough moisture between waterings.

I'd repot (under-potting) to ensure that going forward you have created as optimal an environment for the plant as possible.

BTW birds nest fern roots are typically dark; the best way of doing a quick health-check is to examine the roots to see if they have light coloured tips. If so they are definitely OK.

Good luck and I hope you get to appreciate these wonderful ferns for many years to come.

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to unpot it and check it. It looks like the little leaves coming out are green, but I guess time'll tell. I'm probably going to repot tonight. I didn't really think about treating it like my other epiphytes, because for some odd reason I thought they liked boggy conditions :-) I'll have to mix up some lighter soil combo with bark with whatever I have. Maybe pumice mixed with bark and supersoil. Should I wash away the old soil? The roots look pretty dark I don't think I saw any light tips, but perhaps there are closer to the plant. I saw these ferns on Maui in the trees! Didn't even think that they need more air :-) Duh. That's probably what killed my very first one in 6th grade...I had it in a glass bowl.

minibot (hopefully not earning the title "fern killer" soon)

To be honest I am not sure if washing the soil off will make any difference.

And don't worry about the 'fern killer' moniker ; You've made all the same mistakes I did when first starting out :)