Colorful Bird Nests

Colorful Bird Nests

Help the birds build their nests...
and make the nests easier to
see. This is a fun spring-time
activity for kids to do.

When the birds use your bright colored nesting material to build their nests, you will be able to spot their nests easier.





What You Will Need:

• Strips of Colorful Yarn (we like to use bright yellow, bright red, bright purple, and bright blue)
• Plastic Mesh Bag (like the kind of bag oranges often come in at the grocery store)
• String
• Dryer Lint (optional)

What You Do:

• Cut strips of brightly colored yarn to approximately 4-6".
• Place yarn strips into the plastic mesh bag, then tie the bag closed at the top. Make sure to leave enough string to hang the bag from a tree branch. (NOTE: If you want, add dryer lint to the bag — birds love the soft material.)
• Pull some of the yarn strips so they poke out of the mesh bag — this makes it easier for the birds to pull the yarn out.
• Hang the nesting material bag on a tree branch somewhere close to your house so you can watch the birds take this material.
• After the birds have begun building their nests, take a walk around your yard or neighborhood and see if you can spot a colorful nest. It's fun to see how far the birds will fly with your nesting material.

Variations:

• If you don't have a mesh bag to use, you can also loosely tie the yarn around tree branches — just make sure you don't tie the yarn too tight, or the birds won't be able to fly away with it.
• To encourage birds to nest in your yard, try a variety of nesting materials for them. Things like hair, lint from the clothes dryer, dried grass or straw, and pieces of moss are favorites for birds.
• Use a wicker basket to hold your nesting materials. Sort of a "gift basket" for the birds!