It is tempting to help birds with nesting materials. I did as a beginner Birdie. I thought since I was helping them with food, water and bird houses, why not give a helping hand building their nest?
In fact, I put out bowls with things I thought would be pretty in their nests. Articles and photos online show cool things that birds might like to use to make their nest. Some things might have been fine, but some of those items aren’t safe for birds.
Since I have gray hair, I thought that I would love seeing my hair woven in a nest. I filled a small bowl with clean hair from my hairbrush. Short hair clippings might be fine, because some birds such as the Titmouse do use hair to make their nest. But, long hair can entangle and wrap around baby and adult birds. Never put out hair clippings if you use chemicals or dyes on your hair.
I thought pretty pieces of yarn in a variety of colors would be beautiful woven in a nest. I could envision seeing the yarn scraps in my shrubbery. Well, the problem with that is if I can see the nest then, so could predators!
Birds know best what to use and for centuries they have searched out the materials that they need to make their nests. But, there are natural things that we can do in our yards to provide them with nesting materials from nature.
We can grow plants that will offer them shelter and natural items that are easily found. Natural debris around our yards are perfect for nest building - dead leaves, twigs, dried grass clippings, moss, fluff from plants, pine needles and straw.
Some birds even use mud such as Robins building their cup shaped nests with bits of grass and mud that they have found in my yard. They fly away with their beaks full of black mud ready to add to their nests.
Hummingbirds build their tiny nests that are about the size of a quarter on top of tree branches. One of the interesting natural items that they use is webs from spiders! This soft material is stretchy and comes in handy when the baby birds are growing and wiggling in their nests. The way it expands slowly as they grow keeps the new little family snug and cozy.
Orioles stitch together like a seamstress a bag nest that is made up of long grass, twine, and sometimes even horsehair. Materials such as feathers, animal fur, and soft fibers from different plants are used to line the nest that will be closest to their hatchlings.
Cliff swallows that are seen under highway overpasses use mud almost entirely for their nests. The color of the mud causes them to blend in naturally to the concrete and makes them almost totally unnoticeable.
There are many things that might seem okay for birds to build their nests out of but they aren’t! We should go through and make certain that litter bugs haven’t thrown things in our yards that can be a hazard for birds.
Plastic bits are sometimes gathered by birds for nesting, but a baby bird can think it is food and choke on it. Many plastic items have been used to store chemicals and are very harmful. These items contribute to pollution.
String, yarn and fishing line can entangle a bird and cord off circulation and cause their death. Dryer lint is often very soft, but wind and rain can cause it to dissolve and create a hole that a baby bird can fall through.
Jesus told us to “Look at the birds of the air...”Matthew 6:26 as an example of how he takes care of birds and to let us know that he will do the same for us. Birds use nature to supply building materials for their nests, He wants us to know that He will supply what we need too.
My photos may be viewed on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest - “Birdie of Mississippi” E-mail: birdieofmississippi@gmail.com
Read my Blog @ http://www.birdieofmississippi.blogspot.com
