Hobbies And Interests
Nest Hunting
Go on a nest hunt; you will find them in all sorts of unusual places. The fork of a tree often contains a songbird̵7;s cup-shaped nest made from grasses, lichen or small twigs and held together with mud or spider webs. Look on the ground for a mound nest made from twigs, grass and leaves. Swallows are known for building mud nests that adhere to a building or cliff and orioles like to construct complex, woven pendant nests that are suspended from tree branches. Birds̵7; ingenuity is show-stopping.
Research Project
Use your nest observations to join a national research project at nestwatch.org. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology hosts ̶0;Nest Watch̶1; that invites people all across the country to record and submit information on all types of nests. Their goal is to teach people about birding biology and have them add their observations to an ever-growing national database that monitors nesting, population trends and bird behavior. The Lab asks you to note items like the nest̵7;s location, habitat, the bird species, number of eggs in the nest, and the number of birds that fledged.
Bird Identification
Learn to identify the birds that lived in your nests. Start with the species that are most common to your area and study their size and shape. Look closely at the bill to determine if it̵7;s narrow or compact, whether the tail is long or short and some of the bird̵7;s prominent markings. Birds are creatures of habitat, so note where they are typically found as well as some of their behaviors. Cardinals have noticeably slow movements, nuthatches can hop down a tree trunk and flickers have a distinctive white rump that displays when they are flying away from you.
Nesting Box Construction
Increase your chances of seeing wild birds starting their families by building a simple cavity nest suitable for chickadees, titmice and nuthatches. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology recommends cutting a 16-inch cylinder from a trunk or branch that is roughly six inches in diameter, splitting it in half and hollowing it out until you̵7;ve created a 4-inch cavity. Drill a 1-1/4-inch entrance hole and several ventilation holes and nail the halves back together. Cover the top and bottom with a small square of wood to form the nest̵7;s roof and floor and attach the nest to a tree in a wooded area.