Looking after the wrens.

Discussion in 'Bird' started by Kildale, Mar 27, 2017.

  1. Kildale

    Kildale Nature's Window

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    After feeding them, they now need nesting material. I tried this today and it worked. I will try to see if they take the hair from my hand shortly, not sure if they will. They are using a box I made. May take a couple of pics of it.

    01wren.jpg 02wren.jpg 03wren.jpg
     
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  3. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    I put out dryer lint (only cotton, no synthetic fabric lint) for birds to pick up for nest material. Barb posted about the nesting material safe for birds--human hair was one of them.
    Kildale, where did you get that grey hair for the wrens? I don't seem to be missing any . . . .
     
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  4. eileen

    eileen Resident Taxonomist Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    The birds around here love it when we brush the dog. They swoop down and gather the hair to line their nests. There's going to be lots of fledglings that are snug and warm this year. I doubt that I could ever get them to take some from my hand though.
     
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  5. Kildale

    Kildale Nature's Window

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    I wasn't sure about dryer lint so, I googled it up and they say it is not very good. Here are a couple of things that they said.
    • Texture: Lint is stripped fibers and has no structure of its own. Because of this, it falls apart easily and will not hold up to the actions of growing nestlings. After wet lint dries, it can be particularly brittle and a nest made of dryer lint will disintegrate.
    • Chemicals: Depending on the exact detergents, fabric softeners and dryer sheets used, lint can contain perfumes, soap residue and artificial dyes – none of which are safe for birds. The higher concentration of these chemicals in lint can make it particularly toxic.
     



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  6. Sherry8

    Sherry8 I Love Birds!

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    I love those beautiful sounding birds...I hope mine return. Here they like to start a few nests and then they must pick out the best...they are fun to watch.:)
     
  7. owlowl189

    owlowl189 New Seed

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  8. Tooty2shoes

    Tooty2shoes Hardy Maple

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    Oh my Kildale that is so wonderful to have such a cute little bird eating out of your hand. Our wrens are not that bold. YES you are right about the dryer lint, it is not good nesting material.
    Eileen--dog fur is a great nesting material. I wold think that any kind of animal hair would be a good thing. I know if you put out human hair you need to be sure that the strands aren't too long. Otherwise the birds can get tangled in it.
     
  9. Jerry Sullivan

    Jerry Sullivan Garden Experimenter Plants Contributor

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    In the days when cotton string was a common household Item, cut up pieces of string would disappear during nesting season.

    Jerry
     

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