Spring is here and birds will be nesting! Make a nest-building station with #CMSMatHome and help birds collect materials for their homes.
Collect dried grasses, small twigs, straw, or native plants. (Do not use grasses or twigs from areas that have been chemically treated.)
Find a suet holder, onion or orange netted bag, or an old kitchen whisk, then place your gathered materials in it. Tie this nest-building station to a nearby tree branch or hang from your deck or balcony.
Watch the birds pull pieces from your station and build their nests!
Further Your Learning
The scientific study of birds is called ornithology.
- Can you identify the birds you see? Listen to the sounds they make.
- How many different birds do you see in a day?
- Start a bird-watching journal and describe or draw the birds you see. Note the time of the day you saw them.
- Watch for nest building in area trees and shrubs, but remember to never disturb a nest.
Check out this great birding site from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Look up safe (and unsafe) nesting materials for birds.
