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Eliza Waters 
Yes, indeed! No wool, but plenty of natural building materials in our yard by the woods.
I used to put out string and yarn scraps, but the most popular has been the dog’s fur!
I used to leave Zeke’s fur out for the birds – when I brushed him!
Yes, our dog’s fur is quite popular, too. I save the brushings all year to fill several bags of it with enough to share with a friend. I like imagining nestlings all cozy in her warm fur. 🙂
Should I ever be crazy enough to get another dog, I shall ensure I do the same. It must make the nest rather nice!
Bentley’s wool would not weave very well. 🙂 But most else we have aplenty. So far our annual pair of Phoebes haven’t arrived and we are sort of hoping they nest elsewhere as we’ve been meaning to paint the shed where they build and haven’t been able to so as not to disturb them. Not sure why we consider spring as the only time to paint. 🙂
I’ve always been a late summer painting type, more from procrastination than anything… fall is coming, and I’m running out of time!
Hope the phoebes come all the same. Ours arrived only this weekend.
Anything to help nature help herself (especially since we rob her of so much)
Yes, indeed. Nesting season is one of my favorite times of the year.
Cool!
Is spring more “sprung”😉 there now?
Today is 70º after weeks of barely rising about 50º… tomorrow warmer still (!) before dropping back to mid-50s. I’m basking in the warmth!
Yipppeee 🌞 ☀️ enjoy 😉
Thanks! Definitely!
Such a lovely image and words
We recently had a best Beijing built so
Low that the dogs would have gotten to it – so
I spent a half hour putting some green garden fence around it- but it looks like the birds went elsewhere !
Well better now rather than after the eggs were dropped – but I feel bad because the nest was almost completed!
Aw, sad… some parent birds can be quite particular!
Yes – I saw the nest again today and sure hope they made another one in time !
Have a great day
I still remember the hilarious video a friend made of bluejays flying down to pluck nesting material from the back of her exceptionally long-haired cat! Nature will find a way, but I’m sure the cat would have appreciated a little extra help from humans!
Great story! Those birds were lucky she didn’t make a meal of them.
I tried to help the crows collect strands of the peppermint willow they seem to like for nest building but they utterly ignored the pile I left. Apparently I didn’t select stems of the right size, heft or something!
The material I find quite popular is our dog’s very soft fur, which I keep from her semi-annual sheds. I like to think of little baby birds nestled in that soft warmth. 🙂
Nice one, Eliza.
Thank you, Judy. I’m looking forward to seeing (and hearing) all the activity.
I watched a pair of bluebirds checking out one of our nest boxes yesterday…..a sure sign of spring!
Pretty exciting to hear all that twittering! I hope they nest there for you. 🙂
what a great idea and reminder… good morning Eliza.. thank YOU.. waves a virtual hug your way..
You’re welcome, we need to remember our special feathered friends. 🙂
Lovely pic and good advice! (And spider webs and grasses too can be important for binding nesting materials.) It must be lovely watching the increasing springtime activities.
Thank you, Carol. It is soul-lifting to hear all the singing birds, and esp. nice to see the migrants returning.
Those little mamas and dads work so tirelessly building! They’re fun to watch!
It is fun to see all the activity and a brood successfully fledged. How are the owls?
Yes! 🐦 Love listening to the songbirds this time of year.
It is a sweet symphony with more migrants returning by the day. Phoebes and tree swallows are the latest!
A beautiful photograph and message Eliza! 💗
Thank you, Xenia!
Excellent message and sweet photo!
Thank you, Belinda!
Makes you realize how hard birds work to build their nests
And then once the eggs hatch, they work double time!
I used to leave Dallas’ excess fur outside so the birds would have something soft to line their nests with. I haven’t done that yet with Monkey, but I’m hoping he’ll settle down one day and let me groom him. Thus far, he prefers making me spend money at the groomer’s, ha! Good reminder, Eliza.
Their soft underfur makes great nesting material!
Good prompt! I used to leave Sadie’s dog hair out for nest building, but was never sure if it was used or the wind took it from the dispenser 🤣
Thanks! the season is upon us… loving the birdsong. 🙂
Haha, we have plenty of mess for the birds here! LOL!
Good to know… it is exciting to seeing the breeding season in progress.
Mud, moss, spider webs 🙂 – I would just say a small caveat for pet fur, in that if the dog or cat has had spot-on flea treatment, that can be harmful for birds.
Yes, good point Adele. Our dog sheds in July and January. I keep only the Jan. shedding as we no longer are using treatments in the fall. The July shedding gets trashed.
Have you actually put things outside for that purpose? If so, have the birds shown a preference for any in particular?
I’ve tried yarn and string, but it is our fluffy dog fur that is a hot item. They go through a couple of net bags a season. Grass, shredded grapevine bark, moss and mud seems to be what I’ve observed in nests around here.
After grooming then horses (that I once had) I often watched birds snatch the hair off the ground after I cleaned the brushes.
Horse hair is great nesting material– strong, durable, plyable and warm!
I so loved this poster, Eliza, reminding folks of the birds and their big season. I am always so intrigued with what I find in the nest boxes after the birds have all fledged. I take the hair from my own hair brush and tuck it around the leaf piles and always find it in the nests. Cheers, my friend.
That’s a great idea, Jet. Thanks for sharing it!
It’s that time of year! We have a mesh ball filled with wool hanging from one of our trees.
Perfect! Hope you get lots of takers. 🙂
That’s a lovely reminder to help our feathered friends with their construction needs.
Thank you, Tanja. They deserve all the help we can give them. 🙂
Great advice! Mother Nature, as usual, works through her chosen Eliza ❤️❤️
Thanks, Isha! ❤
❤️💜