Subject: The joys of putting out nesting material
Date: May 9 16:40:29 2000
From: Issymacds at aol.com - Issymacds at aol.com


I've put out a suet cage with nesting material for several years but never
saw much action until I put it on my back porch - mainly to keep the material
dry.

I don't had a steady stream of customers like with a feeder but I have caught
different birds taking bits and pieces and it's fascinating! Just a few days
ago I watched a Chestnut-backed Chickadee working long and hard to gather up
as much as it could in its bill in one visit. My favorite was a hummingbird
who just hovered and flew off trailing a long piece of dog hair (a donation
of our fuzzy white Samoyet grandpuppy) I use mostly dog hair and pull it out
the holes to make it obvious what it is. I also use short pieces of yarn,
dryer lint and whatever I happen to have on hand. It's also near a feeder so
maybe that helps.

When we take our birdhouses down in the fall, we find our material has been
well-used. Try it! It's fun!

Joan Macdonald
Sammamish, WA