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Offer Nesting Materials Many Ways
For most of April and May, we’ve been giving away free nesting materials with all orders. Throughout most of the spring season, you can encourage birds to take up residence at your place with nesting materials. Different species build their nests accordingly, so we’ve used varied materials to make up the packages.Shown here is a Pop-Outz suet feeder, and we’ve been giving them away too! The recycled plastic makes a perfect container for offering the nesting materials. Suet is always a welcomed treat for both resident and migratory birds and the Pop-Outz is a super fun way to serve it. No-melt suet or doughs are made specifically for warm weather feeding and the energy boost really helps out migratory birds after a long journey.
But back to the nesting materials, ours were comprised of horse hair (from mane, tail and body), decorative mosses, like Spanish, sphagnum, and the yellow straw-like stuff, feathers and strips of aspen wood. Aspen fiber happens to be another favorite among North American birds, and is found in many of the commercial nesting material kits.
A mesh produce ba
g from the grocery store (like the kind apples come in) also works great for offering nesting materials, and we use them around our yard. Things like the Birdie Bell are also wonderful for nest materials, plus year-round feeding too.
Entice birds to take up residence at your place by creating a suitable and friendly environment. Food, water and shelter are the basics, be it natural or man-made… the birds will thrive and flourish!
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Offer nesting materials early to further entice birds
Encourage birds to nest in your yard by offering them a good variety of nesting materials. Simple things you may likely already have around your home are fantastic, items which birds will use for nest building.Got a pet? Cat and dog hair are some favorites, as are feathers, and decorative mosses. Spanish moss, sphagnum moss, raffia and aspen fiber are perfect nesting materials birds will go for! Brightly colored cotton yarns add to the mixture also helps grab their attention. One of the tricks is to have your nesting materials out before the nesting season begins, and in plain view where birds will easily see them.
Lots of kits and fun holders are available for wild bird nesting materials. The Birdie Bell shown here actually does triple duty. It will hold fruit in summer for the more exotic, migratory birds, and seed bells or suet in winter to help sustain your regular crew. Come spring, simply fill the bell with nesting material. An item like this with year round usage is a good value. But truth be told… you can use a simple suet cage to offer nesting materials as well. Even the mesh produce bags from the grocery store (like the kind apples come in) will effectively hold nesting materials that birds can access.
So aside from the birdhouses and feeders, be sure there is a fresh water source too. Be it a creek or bird bath, all species of wild birds are drawn to water. And don’t forget: start gathering materials now that will entice feathered friends to take up residence! Happy Birding!
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nesting materials for winter?
The hobby of attracting birds to our backyards offers varied and interesting methods in doing so. Protocol tells us to offer birds nesting materials in spring…because this is when nature tells them it’s time to mate and build nests. And this is another great way to entice and encourage birds to take up residence, especially due to the severe shortage in nesting sites. But many birds will use cotton and other materials to line roosting spots and nest boxes for cold winter nights as well.This cotton nesting ball is wildly popular among Goldfinches, and since they’re more likely to stick around if you feed thistle seed throughout the year, you can help them further with nesting materials to keep warm at night.
Some popular nesting materials include cotton yarns and fibers, mosses that are used for decorative aspects in plants and flowers, feathers, aspen fiber and even dryer lint and pet hair are popular materials used in nest building.
This decorative wreath contains a mixture of nest materials that will entice and attract wild birds to your place. Refills are available, and it can be used year-round. Of course landscape plays an important role too. Preferably some mature trees, or dense shrubs like evergreens, and thickets will provide the perfect spots for your feathered friends to nest and raise their families. Don’t forget the fresh water too, as a birdbath will likely be the most popular spot in the yard!
Birding Tips, Information & News
