If you are a bird lover (and you must be is you are here reading this), you probably enjoy putting things in your yard that attract birds. Many bird enthusiasts put bird feeders, bird baths and bird houses out to try to entice their feathered friends to make a home in their yard.
There is another thing you can put your yard that will increase the bird property value of space in your yard. This is a bird nester.
Essentially, a bird nester is a container that contains nest building materials that can be used by birds to build and line their nests. Bird nesters are very easy to make and keep filled. They attract birds to your yard by making nesting materials more readily available to your feathered visitors.
First, for the bird nester container, you want something that can keep the nesting material held together but keeps getting to the nesting material easy and safe for the birds while still being easy to refill. I have found that there are two containers that lend themselves to this are either an empty suet feeder or a lightbulb cage (which can be found at your local hardware store).
Some people will recommend using a mesh bag but you should probably avoid doing this as a bird can get tangled up in the mesh and injure itself. It is best to use a container that is make of wire or sturdy plastic, like those mentioned above.
Once you have a suitable container, you will need to fill the container. There are bags of nesting materials available at many bird specialty stores, but it is just as easy and less expensive to make your own. Almost any soft or stringy lightweight material can go into a nesting material mix. Wool, dog or human hair, feathers, cotton, yard or rag scraps are just a few examples of things you can put into your nesting material mix. It is quite fun to add pieces of brightly colored yarn or thread to your nesting material mix and then spot that same bright colors intertwined in the nests the birds build in your yard.
Use your imagination when making your bird nesting mix. Many knitters, quilters, sewers and other craft people keep a bag of their cloth scraps to add to their nesting material mix. Asking your local dog grooming shop or hair salon for their cuttings is another excellent way to get filler. Anything you can think of that is lightweight that might be used to build a nest will be appreciated by the birds. Don’t be afraid that the birds will not like it. Birds themselves are quite imaginative themselves when it comes to finding nesting material. They have been known to pull hair right from a person’s head or use found dollar bills!
Some things to keep in mind when making your nesting material mix. Make sure that any stringy materials are less than three inches long. Anything longer may accidentally strangle a fledgling in the nest. Keep in mind the use of any dangerous chemicals on the possible nesting materials. For example, lawn clippings make great filler, but should not be used if the grass has been treated with pesticides or fertilizer.
Once you have your bird nester filler mix, fill your chosen container. Close the container and hang in a sheltered and safe location. Remember, that a bird can become so occupied with trying to retrieve a bit of nesting material from your container that they may not be aware of any approaching dangers, such as cats. So make sure that the container is hung in a safe location.
As with new feeders, it may take a few weeks for the birds to become comfortable with your new bird nester, but once they do, you will be rewarded with being able to watch the comings and goings of expectant bird parents as they use your bird nester to help build their nest.
Click here for more information about how birds build their nests