[Tweeters] Hummingbird nest material

[Constance Sidles]

Hey tweets, the best thing to do to provide nesting materials for birds is to think about planting native plants that birds aleady use for nesting materials:

• thistledown

• cattail fluff

• spider silk (don't use pesticides to kill insects and arachnids in your yard)

• lichen and moss on trees

• dry grasses

• small sticks left on the ground

• cottonwood fluff

• mud (for swallows) 

- Connie, Seattle

csidles at constancypress.com


> On Feb 9, 2022, at 4:41 PM, THOMAS BENEDICT <benedict.t at comcast.net> wrote:

> 

> So would synthetics work better? I know cotton is not recommended for human outdoor gear because it holds onto water. Maybe the same thing for hummingbirds?

> 

> Tom Benedict

> Seahurst, WA

>> On 02/09/2022 4:01 PM Constance Sidles <constancesidles at gmail.com> wrote:

>> 

>> Dear Mike, it's best not to use dryer lint for nesting material because when it gets wet, it gets soggy and cold, which is bad for eggs and nestlings. - Connie, Seattle

>> 

>> csidles at constancypress.com

>> 

>>> On Feb 9, 2022, at 3:17 PM, Mike Wagenbach <wagen at uw.edu> wrote:

>>> 

>>> Is it OK to put out dryer lint for birds to pick up for nesting?  Ours is probably mostly cotton.

>>> 

>>> Mike Wagenbach

>>> Seattle