Materials to Help Wild Birds Make Nests
Do you want to provide materials to help wild birds make nests? It’s nice to offer robins, chickadees, and other nest-builders supplies. After all, they can’t visit a local home improvement store or order their supplies. They have to find it all. Their presence provides entertainment for humans, and they’re a joy to have around. Consider the following ways to help birds with nest building. You’ll draw more feathered visitors to your property.
Scattering Scraps of Yarn
I often sit outside while working on loom-knitted projects. Instead of throwing the yarn scraps away, I scatter them on the ground. The wind carries them to other areas where they can be found by nest-building birds. I’m sure they appreciate the soft bits of twine. They’re not picky like humans. They don’t worry about coordinating colors. They just want materials to hold the structures together to protect their eggs and their young.
I’m able to see many of the robin’s nests in my yard since the trees aren’t tall, and it’s interesting to see what they tuck in between layers of mud and dry foliage. The nest that I’ve featured in the photo above is falling apart, but as you can see, it contains a light blue strip of material. More than likely a bird will rebuild it. They’re not picky, and they’re not wasteful either.
You Can Help By Hanging a Bird Nester in Early Spring –
View it at Amazon – Heritage Farms 64006BNW Wooden Bird Nester
Has it Been a Dry Spring?
Birds require more than just yarn, dried grass, and other foliage when building sturdy nests. Many wild birds use mud, but they can’t if they don’t have a local source. Has it been a dry spring in your area? When considering materials to help wild birds make nests, provide a few mud puddles. Use soil that hasn’t been fertilized or coated with oil or other chemicals. Make it readily available in pots, and keep it well-moistened. You might not see birds collecting it for nests, but if the ground is dry, chances are they’ll use it.
Other Materials to Help Wild Birds Make Nests
- Chemical-free pet fur (no flea treatment or leave-in products)
- Chemical-free human hair (no leave-in hair products)
- Narrow strips of softener-free fabric
- Sphagnum moss
- Short pieces of natural twine
- Bird Nester Refill Material
- Untreated grass clippings
- Hay and/or straw
- Feathers from old bedding
Materials That Aren’t Safe for Nesting Birds
Not all stringy materials are safe for nesting birds. Never offer dryer lint since it can contain high concentrations of fabric softeners and other chemical products. Thread and fishing line aren’t safe either since they can become tangled around the bird’s neck, legs, and wings. Anything treated with chemicals isn’t good for nesting birds or their eggs and hatchlings. Another way to help wild birds with their nests involves cleaning up yard debris. Keep your property free of synthetic and potentially unsafe materials that could be used as nest building material.
I really need to make a couple of bird houses. The birds have plenty of lawn clippings, though.
@rextrulove – I’m going to hang a couple of wooden bird houses that my dad made tomorrow. I made hummingbird syrup today and hung three feeders. They should be returning very soon. We seem to have more birds than ever this spring. 🙂
Birds also dryer lint in making their nests in the spring. I like leaving different color strings or ribbons. It is easy to spot a nest in a tree that way,
@rusty2rusty – I read that dryer lint isn’t good for them. It has something to do with the chemicals in the fabric softener. I’m sure they find it on their own anyway since it can fall from the vents. It’s cool to find a ribbon or a string that you left for them. 🙂
Well that is good. As I don’t use fabric softener.