OUTDOOR LIVING
NEST Detectives
Birds are busy making and using nests each spring! We recently attended a program by Phelicia Jozwiak from Elkhart County Parks (ECP) to learn more about nest building. Since ECP has a permit for educational purposes, we were able to see many recovered nests up close, using clues from the materials, shape, and size of the nests to figure out which bird had made it. Some of the nests we investigated included: • Ruby-throated Hummingbird—tiny nests made of light colored lichen and spider webs • Red-winged Blackbird—wide grasses and weed stems woven into a deep cup and lined with delicate plant fibers • Eastern Phoebe—cup-like, made of moss and mud, lined with delicate plant fibers • American Robin—a deep cup shaped nest of mud and stems/grasses
We also made nesting balls. Using a variety of natural materials—bark, cattails, grasses, twigs, moss, and more—we were able to create a ball of grape vines filled with nesting materials for the birds in our area. We then were able to hang this in our yard to watch as the birds build nests nearby.
As we progress in nesting season, watch (from afar) the birds and nearby nests. What nests might you find? How can you help the nesting birds? Dr. Carla Gull blogs at www.insideoutsidemichiana. com and hosts the podcast Loose Parts Nature Play. She is often seen with her four adventurers in the greater Michiana area.
Phelicia Jozwiak holds a Baltimore Oriole nest.
• House Sparrow—a messy pile of grasses, straw, trash, string and paper, with hair, feather, or wool inside • House Wren—another messy nest of twigs with fine fibers and downy feathers • Baltimore Oriole—a woven bag made of string, plant fibers, and hair, lined with fine plant fibers • American Tree Swallow—dried grasses lined with white feathers While we have seen many of these nests in the wild, including a phoebe nest out the kitchen window, a messy house wren nest in our mud kitchen bucket, a cup shaped robin nest in a nearby gazebo, and a tiny hummingbird nest on a branch in our front yard, seeing all these nests together allowed us to compare the different building approaches, materials used, and sizes and textures of the nests. We could see similarities and differences and marvel that a bird created this special place to hatch eggs and raise young, protecting them from predators and the elements.
Each nesting ball had materials birds can use for nesting.
Hummingbird nests are about the size of a quarter.
Program participants enjoy learning more about nests! 6 inMiddlebury Magazine | APRIL 2022
