(Note bay leaves inside nest (possible robin nest)
It is almost the end of summer, (weather here has been so cool we actually have the heat on at night) and as we continue harvesting or beginning to clean up gardens, we are finding birds nests in hidden places.
It never ceases to amaze me what animals go through to create homes for their offspring- and no less the birds. Each species is unique, taking into consideration location, size and number of eggs possible, and what materials are available. Some birds build complicated homes, others of a delicate, intricate design, while others seems to just throw things together. It takes about 180 trips per day for anywhere from 2-6 days to gather materials and build the nest for many song birds..
To conserve resources, birds generally create nests that are as small as possible, which not only saves on energy from a construction and maintenance standpoint, but also creates a smaller, warmer micro-environment making it easier to keep incubating eggs and new babies warm and dry. Some nests are used years after year, with a little fixing up, but many of our song birds just start all over again.
A wren's nest in the herb garden's peony. Photo by Oblate Martha Conn.
