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Dear ones, today is one of my very favorite days of the year. Today we celebrate surviving another cold and gloomy winter, and are rewarded with the first hints of buds on the trees, daffodils, blooming tulip trees and the general feeling of renewal that comes along with Spring.
At the farm we are eagerly anticipating the imminent hatching of the eggs Ethel has been sitting on seemingly forever and , of course, the lambs that could start arriving anytime now. There’s an energy in the air, a feeling that everything is potential and just waiting to burst into being. It’s pure magic.
I have a little project I like to do on the first day of Spring. It’s crazy easy, so easy that you could do it with even the smallest of children, inexpensive and environmentally friendly to boot.
You will need:
A cheap bird suet feeder. I got this one at Tractor Supply for $1.99.
A couple of handfuls of yarn scraps, cut into 4 to 8 inch lengths.
Put the scraps in your suet feeder and voila! You’ve just provided nesting materials for all the birds in your area.
I’ve been doing this for years and I never fail to feel a thrill when I see a bright strand of yarn carefully woven into a bird’s nest. You can also fill your suet feeder with raw fleece, if you have any handy. Ernie’s fleece scraps have always been particularly popular with the birds.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology gives yarn scraps a thumbs up.http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1144 (Scroll down to “Nest Material”). I have also gotten approval from the Audubon Society BEFORE posting this. In other words, actual EXPERTS approve of this project. I’m sure that whatever your cousin’s neighbors best friend had to say about is interesting but I am sticking with EXPERT opinions on this. But thank you.
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this idea! And, of course, momma birds need extra energy for egg making and then feeding, so actual suet is a good idea, too. Lots of homemade recipes for various combinations of seeds are available online. I can’t wait to fill up one of my emptysuet feeders with yarn, though, thanks! I hang cleaned out birdhouse gourds, too. The house wrens love them.
What a lovely idea! Birds are building nests under the thatch of my cottage roof, and this might help them make it lovely and soft! I will try this out for sure!
Oh, a lovely way to use the ends of yarn! There is a bag of “too pretty to throw out- too short to use” which is about to become nesting material.
I have already engaged in my spring ritual: bought seeds and started flowers. Our lovely CSA takes care of the veggies; so, I can use all of my space for pretties.
I started Spring on Friday night. It was an unusual 75 degrees, the moon was full and the lights on the field had just turned on. It was the start of baseball for my family and we considered it the best way to welcome Spring. Spent the entire weekend at games(tournament for both boys) knitting away my nervous energy.
Still under 3 feet of snow! Can’t get to my suet feeder to put out my yarn scraps yet or to even refill it with suet. Have wire feeder on porch that will do just fine until mud season. Hopefully the thaw will come in small increments so I won’t have to drive thru too much mud!
What a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion and I’m going to fill up a suet feeder tomorrow!
Susan, had to run an errand today and sent my husband in to get a suet holder. Our yarn holder is hanging in the tree in the front so we can see the momma birds come and pick out the yarn for their nests. Thank you so much for the idea of the suet holder, I had been saving the scraps from all my recent crochet project and wow, it was just perfect!
I live in the city. I keep some of the fur that goes into the brush when I groom my 2 cats. I place small clumps in the bushes in a nearby park for the birds and squirrels to line their nests. Makes me think they enjoy the fur of one of their nemises.
A few years ago, I bought a beautiful “yarm ball” from a farm in NH called Riverslea Farm – a ball woven of wicker, stuffed with fleece ends. Every year we refresh it with new bits of fleece and I very much hope there are some warm birds out there enjoying my spinning dregs.
ok. That’s genius!!! Never would of thought of it and yet I can see it’s pure magic. Seeing brightly colored yarn in nests? Are you kidding me?! Insanely magical.
JMF: Making the World Magical©
Best wishes for the upcoming lambings.
What a great idea. So simple and so nice for all the birds we have at our bird feeder this time of year. I think I’ll get a supply of them and take it to my knitting group so we can fill them with donated yarn and the library can sell them or we’ll give them to a local no-kill shelter that needs a fund raiser. Lot’s easier than felted cat beds.
Oh Susie, you’ve been holding out on us! This is wonderful, and as soon as I find a suet feeder, it’s happening at Casa de Knittingfool.
great idea! will work much better than the netted bag i used last year!
Today a friend and I planted seeds that will become tomato plants for the community garden…It was my friends very first time to ever plant seeds!
Happy Spring everyone!
Ahh!! totally missed that yesterday was the first day of spring, even after I pointed it out to my co-workers Friday!! I spent a good part of the day collecting supplies to make square foot gardens. Next weekend the assembly and hopefully transplanting!! LOVE all the ideas about providing nesting materials. Thanks and Happy Spring to all!
Oh, I love giving birds stuff for their nests. One year, I repurposed an entire old cotton sweater that way. It was great fun to see giant wads of blue sweater in the trees, over the next few months.
What a sweet idea! I like the idea of cheering up my yard, helping out the birds, and using up scraps of yarn all at the same time!
This is fantastic!!! My youngest and fiber protege’ will have a blast doing this!
I hate to be a spoil sport. I thought it was a good idea until I read where it is dangerous for the baby birds. If they get their feet caught in the yarn, they’re doomed to not be able to get out of the nest.
Can you tell me where you read that, Joan? Cause I got the idea from the Audabon Society and I can’t imagine they would advocate it if it wasn’t safe.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology gives yarn scraps a thumbs up. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1144 (Scroll down to “Nest Material”)
cute idea, but we had a nest in our yard with string in it, a baby bird caught his foot in it when trying to leave the nest. The mommy and daddy bird would not let us near the nest to help and the poor sweet birdy died!
Megan, according to the Cornell Ornithology department, yarn is no different than things they find in nature. Some times baby birds get tangled in nesting materials. It whether it’s something they find or something we put out, it just happens some times. Cornell recommends putting the yarn out.
I love this idea. Birds use all sorts of “findings”, they are the original collage artists. Thanks for posting this.
I do this too, also thin scraps of fabric and the lint from the dryer filter. It disappears quickly, especially if you hang some bacon and seed feeders underneath as well.
Great idea. How far away have you spotted what might be from your source of nesting materials?
I googled it once and you can touch birds and the parents won’t not touch the bird again. I put a bird back n it’s nest once and the mama bird just watched me real real
Closely but never tried to attack me. It’s a cute idea
This is a marvelous MAKE & TAKE project for my grandson’s class at the school Spring Fling. Will be looking for even more inexpensive containers for the kids to put the yarn in. Does anyone have any ideas for Nana?
Susan: I LOVE this idea. My husband feeds all varieties f birds, but this is another way to help our feathered friends.
Nana: what about Strawberry baskets? I know they might be harder to find right now, but that would be an inexpensive recylable item.
this would be beautiful and i think the birds would appriciate the help lol a soft bed with color
What a great idea ! Thanks for sharing.
What a FUN Spring Tradition!! Thanks for sharing.
I love this idea! Going to Tractor Supply tomorrow! Thank you for a great new tradition!
PLEASE!! ONLY USE PIECES 2 TO 3 INCHES LONG!!! I have seen many hung birds with string, yarn, or fishing line in lengths too long.
We put out hair after we get our hair cut, too.
Read that in a children’s book once and have been doing it ever since.
What colorful nests the birds would have. I love this idea. I may not be good at decorating my own home, but I would love to point out colorful nests I helped decorate
What a colorful idea! I can’t wait to do this, as I love watching the variety of birds that hang out in our area. And it never fails that they pick our chimney to build a nest on so I can watch the little ones out my window as they grow.
wow! i will definitely do that.. specially there’s a parakeet village up on our tree…
i just saw some mama birdie making another nest… i just hope Leroy Marlin here in Madrid sells suet feeder… thank you for sharing 
I love this idea. But I keep hearing that it’s dangerous not for birds — but for cats and dogs who may eat the yarn if it falls on the ground. Now, I personally think the fear is overblown, especially if the pieces are only 3″ long. But I was wondering if anyone has a veterinary opinion on this. Longer pieces of string can definitely mess up a pet’s intestines. So, assuming a bird drops one or two or six 3-inch pieces, and assuming a four-legged finds it … what about those short ones?
Love this, and your disclaimer to all the Debbie Downers cracked me up!
Great Idea – also if you put out dyer lint – make sure it is woolen lint or loaded with pet hair -
I noticed that several folks above commented that the yarn should be shorter lengths and I would concur. I have seen the damage done by longer lengths of yarn, ribbon, string in both wild & pet birds. Any part of their bodies could get tangled in the longer lengths. I have worked for an avian vet in the past, and I now volunteer for a wildlife rehabilitation on the coast. We see tangles of every kind of ribbon, string, line, and yarn washed up on shore……and sometimes around the legs of seabirds. I would think that one to two inch lengths would be much safer.
@ Liz thanks for your post.
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