I have a whole list of projects for birding and gardening I've been wanting to work on that, to me, say, "Yay Spring!" This is the first I've gotten to (just hung yesterday), a little happy welcome to the birdies.
For some time now I have been seeing blog posts, pins. and DIY tutorials on offering nesting materials to birds looking to nest-build. I love this idea, cause I am a huge birding fan and just adore those who nest in and visit my feeders. I kinda took a little from each source and came up with my own thing.
MY MATERIALS:
*cat fur (been collecting for a while now)
*feathers naturally lost from my budgies
*small fabric scraps (Color is an eye-catcher!)
*little pieces of smooth hemp twine (frayed hemp can endanger toes and feet)
*bits from nature- dried leaves left from fall, small twigs, and dried moss
*empty suet cage
CAUTION: I kept all pieces of string-like material under 6". I avoided using string/thread except for a tiny piece here and there, and made sure it wasn't tangled. When all knotted or bound together, thread can catch in birdy feet and cause serious harm. :/ I played it a little more cautious than the articles I read suggested, just to be safe!
INSTRUCTIONS:
*Mix all of your goodies together- whee!
*Fit into cage, and close it up well.
*Look for a place outdoors to hang it, preferably where birds will see it in their everyday travels. Here is where using some brightly-colored fabric scraps is helpful!
*Hang in a secure place.
*Watch birdies visit to nab fancy bits for their nests! Maybe later in the Spring you'll even see a nearby nest with spots of color from your contribution!
Here are links to the articles I mainly used:
"Offer Nesting Materials For Birds" from Empress of Dirt
"Other Ways to Attract Birds" from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
"The First Day of Spring" from Juniper Moon Farm
I'd love to hear about your experiences with this! I'll update on mine (hopefully I'll have some).
