You can entice more feathered friends to your yard, and help them out by offering nesting materials. They’ll seek out their preferred material and if conditions are favorable (mature trees, brush and thickets) will take up residence at your place. If you’re attentive and observant, you may be able to spot the nest and even see the nestlings before they fledge.

Many kinds of commercial nesting materials are available; from cotton balls, to wreaths containing feathers and strings, to baskets, filled with yarns, cotton fibers, and hemp. But you can easily make your own nest ball using some pretty common items that are usually discarded in the trash.

Start with a mesh produce bag-like the kind from the grocery store. Next save your dryer lint a few times instead of tossing it. Got a dog or cat? Pet hair also works well in the mix! The home made nest ball at left is made strictly from horse tail hair, and as you can see…the birds have torn it apart!

Both non-cavity dwelling birds, and birds who use houses will seek out nesting material to build a suitable site in which they’ll lay eggs and raise the babies.