March is the start of nesting season for numerous birds that visit your garden. Bird nesting materials provide a great way for you to help them out. Different soft plant materials, fibers, and fluff help birds build comfortable, cozy nests. Different materials, however, have varied qualities, and some types of nesting materiеlsе can even be harmful. Here is a guide to safe and unsafe bird nesting materials.
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Collecting pet fur is an excellent way to help wild birds prepare for nesting season. Starting in March, dog and cat fur will begin to shed and grow new coats. Pet fur is great for insulation and is soft to touch. Many birds will use fur to help line their nests, so help them out by collecting pet fur. It's best to place the fur into a suet feeder, mesh onion bag, or drape smaller amounts over shrubs. to help them build their nests. To help wild birds use your pet fur, please make sure there are no chemicals, especially flea treatments, in the fur. For the safety of birds, please keep individual strands to less than six inches. Pet fur can help birds out a lot by allowing them to use less energy!
Undyed Cotton Batting
Natural and undyed cotton batting is soft and flexible making it easy for birds to shape it into their nests. When using batting look for 100% cotton and no synthetic blends, dyes, or fire retardants as these can introduce toxins to the nesting environment. Birds like robins, mourning doves, and house finches will use cotton in their nests for insulation and cushioning. You can take the batting and pull it apart into clumpy loose pieces about the size of your hand and put them in open spaces for birds to see them easily and use them like on fence posts, low shrubberies, or in hand made secured wire holders. Since moisture absorption differs, plants will work better than cotton when used alongside other materials that birds can forage. For easy manipulation and nesting weaving, keep the cotton in small and loose pieces rather than a dense wad. Nesting birds will appreciate the access to clean, safe fibrous material that will mimic the texture of the plant downs they find in nature.
Pussy Willow Catkins
From late winter to early March, pussy willow catkins provide birds with a naturally occurring nesting material right when they need it. These catkins are soft and fuzzy, containing fibers that small songbirds (like goldfinches and warblers) use to line their nests. If pussy willows grow on your property, it is best to leave fallen catkins on the ground. Alternatively, collect some branches and place them in a spot that is easy to access. The silvery-gray fuzz that covers the catkins pulls apart easily, providing birds with soft materials that insulate their nests. Since pussy willows are non-toxic and break down naturally, they are one of the safest materials to provide for birds. You can also create foraging sites for birds by bundling small branches and leaning them against a fence or tree. Because pussy willow catkins are some of the first plant materials to emerge in spring, they support the nesting activities of many native birds and end the winter dormancy of your backyard ecosystem.
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Thistle and Dandelion Fluff
Do you have a goldfinch nest near you? If so, you may have noticed they line their nests with thistle down, which provides insulation for the young chicks. You can also collect dandelion fluff, which is also a great insulator, and is abundant in many yards, especially in the spring. Providing insulation for nests and cradles for baby birds doesn’t take much. By letting certain dandelion and thistle plants grow to seed, you provide a free renewable resource. Dandelions will provide insulation for nests throughout the season. The fluff can be used to line goldfinch nests. For the nest to stay clean and dry, collect the fluff and place it around feeders and nest areas. This fluff stays clean and dry because it is naturally antimicrobial. Just make sure to avoid fluff and insulation that come from nests that were treated with pesticides as the chemical residues can transfer to bird eggs and nestlings. Supporting and boosting pollinators is as simple as letting thistles and dandelions grow harmoniously in your own backyard.
Lichen from Tree Bark
Lichen is an important material for nesting, especially for hummingbirds. Lichens help hummingbirds build cup-shaped nests that are camouflaged and reinforced. After storms and strong winds, lichens will often be found laying on the ground. These fragments will be collected by birds. Lichens also provide nesting material for blue-gray gnatcatchers and wood pewees. These birds use lichen with spider silk to help their nests blend in with tree branches. Lichen is not something that should be pulled off living trees. It plays an important role in the environment. Never pull lichen off trees, as it leads to increased issues for the tree and creates an ecological imbalance. Instead, gather lichen that has already fallen and put it in open areas where birds can see it so they can use it for nesting material, such as on top of a stump or tucked into the crook of a branch. Lichen is excellent nesting material, as it is lightweight, flexible, and weather resistant. Using lichen encourages a wider variety of birds that are looking to make nests to visit your house during the spring and summer.
Dryer Lint Scraps
It might be thinking that dryer lint is a suitable nesting material for birds, especially since it seems soft, however, that isn't really the case. It is made of synthetic fibers, microplastics, and detergent and fabric softener residue which can all cause harm to bird nests and their hatchlings. It absorbs water like a sponge when rain hits it and loses it insulating properties and will chill eggs instead of keeping them warm. In fact, it will trap moisture against vulnerable chicks. Bird nests made from dryer lint will collapse because dryer lint also does not hold its shape. The fragrances and softening agents also contain toxins that are bad for birds when they are in constant contact with their skin and developing embryos. Cotton lint is also not a nest suitable material due to the chemicals that are present from the machine used to create the lint. They may attract to it because of the softness, however, the reproductive success and risks that it poses to birds is incredibly bad. It would be best to avoid it all together and use untreated natural fibers instead.
Synthetic Yarn Fibers
Synthetic string and yarn might look safe but can wrap around and injure birds. Natural materials like yarn will break down, but synthetic materials will wrap around birds’ legs, necks, and wings. Nestlings can be especially vulnerable and can get injured, have restricted blood flow, or die from being tangled in the nest. Longer strands will add to the danger and many people give yarn that is too long. Moisture doesn’t wick and breath like natural materials so nests can become unhealthy because synthetic materials don’t allow for the proper breathing or wicking. Many yarns have chemicals in them that can leach into the nest environment. Wool that is dyed can even pose a problem. If you want to give birds something fibrous, give them short, undyed cotton thread or plant fibers. Make sure strands are under four inches to minimize the risk of entanglement.
Treated Pet Hair
While you can offer clean pet fur to birds for nesting, the fur should be avoided if your pet is recently treated for any fleas, ticks, Medicated bathing, grooming sprays, topical medications, or anything else that involves chemicals. These sprayed chemicals can be super harmful to the birds' babies that are growing in their nests. They can have pesticides and harmful chemicals that kill bugs. These can be harmful to the birds' nervous systems and can even kill birds or make them very ill. This can also be very harmful to the babies if they come into contact with it. It can prevent them from hatching or make them deformed if they are able to hatch. Fur from pets that have been washed with a shampoo that has a scent in it can be used. Washes that have oils, or other agents that kill bugs in them are not safe to be used around birds. If your pet has been recently treated, while it is not safe to offer that fur to the birds for nesting, be sure to wait until the treatments are off and the fur is safe to collect to offer to the backyard birds.
