Miniature Bird Nest Tutorial

 Hello all!  I noticed a branch on the outside of my fairy pumpkin house that looked like it needed a little something.  So, I thought I would try and make a teeny bird nest to go there.  I wish I would have taken pictures of the first one being made because I think it turned out better than the second example.  They both turned out precious in their own way. 

The first step that I took, no pictures, but I used two shades of DMC floss (cross stitch string) in tan and brown.  I dabbed school glue on my pointer finger and thumb and ran the string through the glue then let it dry.  This just stiffens the strands.  I then cut it up into small pieces about a half inch long and also cut pieces a little longer and a little shorter because the "sticks" would naturally be different sizes.

I then used a very small button and dabbed wood glue on it then placed some "sticks" on the glue.  After that I just used my tweezers and would barely dip each stick into the glue and stacked them up around the edge of the nest until I came to what looked like a nest.  

Of course, I had to make some tiny bird eggs out of air-dry clay :) 

Have you ever made a teeny bird nest?  What material did you use?

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!

XOXO Laurie

dc nesting

Last summer I spied a nest in a tree behind the day care and between the ponds.  Or the pond and the pit rather.  I'm not sure really if I spied the nest or it's creator first.  The bird was a Baltimore Oriole with orange feathers as bright as the sun and quite hard to miss.  The nest is of the hanging variety... kind of like a sock.  I watched the male and female (who is not colored like the male) all summer long and continued to watch the empty nest, all of fall and winter, just wondering what it's next step would be.  Would it fall?  Would it's inhabitants come back this year to the same nest?  Would the nest be in any condition to live in again?

Today, I got my answer.  The kids and I took a walk to the dirt pile to check out the new piles of dirt Shaun hauled in last week and when we got back to the playground I just happened to glance in the direction of the nest only to realize is wasn't there.  Although the kids were already on swings, I excitedly almost panicked saying "The nest is gone!  Who wants to go find it with me?!?!?"  Of course they all did.  So we journeyed out of the playground once again and it didn't take me long to find it, thank goodness.  I admired it's building materials and structure and shared with the kids and we talked about it the whole way back.  I hurried inside to get my bird books to show the children what the owner's of the nest looked like.  They were pretty amazed and I was so proud.

We decided to go inside and gather scraps of yarn and string from the craft room.  We then went out front and tucked the strings away in the suet feeder so that maybe, when we find more nests, they might be made with some materials that we supplied for the birds.  I think that would be very cool.  I found a tiny nest over the winter that has, what looks like, my long hair (or someone's) weaved throughout the inside.  Birds are so amazing.  I am tickled to already be noticing more voices and even spotting some of the summer birds back already.  I am one who thinks of them flying over the ocean right now on their way home.

The tree you can see to the right and right behind the nest I am holding 

is the one the nest was hung from.

I would be so honored to find a nest with some of our string in it.  

You never know!

This is a picture of the kind of bird that made the nest.

Click the picture for more information about Baltimore Orioles.

Photo from www.allaboutbirds.org

  

Weekend Shots

Lucky for me, over the weekend I was able to get out and take a walk through the woods on Friday and Saturday.  Friday's walk was down through the creek and back up power line hill.  Katie Bug went with me.  She had apparently perfumed herself by rolled in something dead and stunk to high heaven.  There wasn't an inch of her that wasn't contaminated.  She wound up spending her weekend sleeping outside in her pen and Saturday I decided it was time for her to take a swim in the pond.  It helped to a degree but Saturday night was also spent in her pen.  We had a very warm weekend, windy but very warm for February.  Despite what the ground hog said, spring seems to be on it's way judging by the buttercups I found.  I also found an array of other woodsy beauty including the sweetest little nest I've ever seen perched on nothing but a couple of thorny twigs but in fantastic condition.  I also spied some sort of lichen that I've not seen before on a dead tree stump.  The spirit in the woods never fails to show me something new.  

Tommy creeping up on his prey.

Walking down power line hill at the creek.  About half way down at this point.

A cat tail.

This is officially one of my new favorite pictures.

I can almost see a little puff of spores billowing out if they were touched.

I love sharing my walks and world with you.  It seems lately I have been sharing much of other people's worlds and my opinions of them.  Good opinions of course.  This week it's all about my part of the world.