Making Bird's Nests

Nesting Materials

Purpose of Nesting Material
The term “nesting material” refers to anything that birds may use to construct a nest, whether they create a simple depression of sticks and straw or if they have a more elaborate type of nest structure with intricate architecture and widely varied materials.

Nesting Materials
• Dead twigs or sticks
• Dead leaves
• Dry grass
• Yarn or string or thread—cut into 15 - 20 cm pieces
• Human or animal hair (especially horse hair) (use short lengths—no longer than 15-20 cm long)
• Pet fur
• Sheep's wool
• Feathers
• Plant fluff or down (e.g. thistle down)
• Kapok, cotton, or other stuffing material
• Moss or lichen
• Bark strips
• Pine needles
• Thin strips of cloth, about 5 – 20 cm inches long
• Mud
• Straw or other plant stems
• Hay
• Shredded paper

This material helps…
• Cushion the eggs from the ground and parents' weight
• Insulates the eggs from temperature changes
• Holds the clutch together for heat efficiency
• Camouflages the nest from predators
• Protects the nest from the elements

To best protect their eggs, parent birds select nesting material carefully, and many birds use several types of material to construct a single nest.

Nests

At the end of T2 we made nests just like birds! We used plaster of paris and added brown paint to this. We soon realised that making a nest is no easy task.

Instructions for Nest Building

Things You'll Need:
• Straw or hay
• Plaster of Paris
• Acrylic paint (brown)
• Twigs and other nest materials
• Ice-cream containers or bucket
• Aluminium foil
• Glass jar
1. Step 1
Mix the plaster of Paris with a small amount of water in a glass jar with a lid. The final thickness should be about the consistency of a milkshake.
2. Step 2
Stir a small amount of acrylic paint into the plaster of Paris. Use brown to get the colour of dirt or mud. Stir the plaster and keep adding paint until it reaches the desired colour. Remember, it's much easier to darken a colour than to lighten it, so start with a small amount of paint and gradually add to it.
3. Step 3
Take a plastic ice-cream container diameter and fill it with straw or hay. Pour the plaster mixture onto the straw.
4. Step 4
Use another mixing bowl and put it upside down on several layers of newspaper. Put some aluminium foil over this bowl.
5. Step 5
Apply the straw and plaster combination to the aluminium foil and work it around to get it into a nest shape. Dry completely before proceeding.
6. Step 6
Remove the bird nest from the aluminium foil-covered bowl carefully.
7. Step 7
Finish the bird nest with decorative touches. Mix up more plaster and paint and apply some gathered or store-bought feathers, twigs and leaves. Crafts stores have plenty of finishing touches for these decorative nests, such as little birds and eggs. Or use Easter eggs!