Late yesterday afternoon I took Duncan out to take care of business, and I happened to spot this on the ground in our front yard --
At first I thought it was just a ball of pine needles that had gotten pulled out of their usual spot by You Know Who.
On closer inspection, I realized it was a tiny bird's nest.
Isn't it cute? One of nature's perfect little works of art. The orange string I believe came from one of our bales of pine needles earlier in the year. It must have been mixed in with the pine needles on the ground. It looked to me as if the nest had come from our Tulip Magnolia tree just on the other side of the sidewalk from where I found the nest.
I think the wind must have blown the nest out of the tree (it was really windy here Monday night and Tuesday during the day). It's early for hummingbirds to be nesting, so this nest was probably still in the tree from last season.
I put a quarter next to the nest to give you an idea of the actual size of the nest. The nest measures about 2 1/4" by 3 1/4" at the outer part. The inside of the nest measures about 1 1/2" by 2 1/4". My husband is convinced this must be a hummingbird nest; he thinks it's too small even for wrens or chickadees. I Googled hummingbird nests last night, and the size is about right. However, most of the hummingbird nests I saw had lichens and/or moss around the outside (for camouflage). According to this site, hummingbirds use soft cotton fibers, spider silk, feathers, or plant down from thistles, dandelions, or cattails as common nesting materials in the construction of their nests.
In that respect, the nest doesn't look like the pictures I saw, but it is awfully small. What do you think? Does anyone know what kind of nest this is? I love that it's egg-shaped; our robin's nests on the porch are always round.
I'll definitely be saving this to display somewhere in our house. I've checked it two or three times, and there don't seem to be any bugs in it. /:o We've had robins build nests over our porch for the past several years, and when we go to get the nest down after the babies have flown, the nests are full of bugs. They're crawling up my arm by the time I get down from the ladder. Ughhh. I'm glad to see that this little nest is bug-free.
Sometimes nature presents us with sweet surprises when we least expect it. Are you enjoying the beauty of nature in your part of the world? Thanks so much for your visit; I really appreciate your being faithful readers even though I haven't posted much so far this year. Things are starting to pick up, and I'll have more to share soon. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!
Blessings,
Denise
I think the wind must have blown the nest out of the tree (it was really windy here Monday night and Tuesday during the day). It's early for hummingbirds to be nesting, so this nest was probably still in the tree from last season.
I put a quarter next to the nest to give you an idea of the actual size of the nest. The nest measures about 2 1/4" by 3 1/4" at the outer part. The inside of the nest measures about 1 1/2" by 2 1/4". My husband is convinced this must be a hummingbird nest; he thinks it's too small even for wrens or chickadees. I Googled hummingbird nests last night, and the size is about right. However, most of the hummingbird nests I saw had lichens and/or moss around the outside (for camouflage). According to this site, hummingbirds use soft cotton fibers, spider silk, feathers, or plant down from thistles, dandelions, or cattails as common nesting materials in the construction of their nests.
In that respect, the nest doesn't look like the pictures I saw, but it is awfully small. What do you think? Does anyone know what kind of nest this is? I love that it's egg-shaped; our robin's nests on the porch are always round.
I'll definitely be saving this to display somewhere in our house. I've checked it two or three times, and there don't seem to be any bugs in it. /:o We've had robins build nests over our porch for the past several years, and when we go to get the nest down after the babies have flown, the nests are full of bugs. They're crawling up my arm by the time I get down from the ladder. Ughhh. I'm glad to see that this little nest is bug-free.
Sometimes nature presents us with sweet surprises when we least expect it. Are you enjoying the beauty of nature in your part of the world? Thanks so much for your visit; I really appreciate your being faithful readers even though I haven't posted much so far this year. Things are starting to pick up, and I'll have more to share soon. :) I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!
Blessings,
Denise
There's my favorite cutie! We need that little fur ball of energy to slow down just long enough for a good pic, he's getting so big:@)
ReplyDeleteHi Denise! Oh, that little nest is darling! I wouldn't have a clue to what kind of bird would make it but It's precious! Yes, I would consider that a gift from God! Thanks for popping in to see me. My hubby traveled when our children were little and I had to make sure every window was covered up really well. Still like my windows covered at night. One day I'll have to have a real 'closure' on that window.
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Such a sweet little nest, Denise. I haven't got a clue what kind of a bird made it. I didn't even know that hummingbirds made nests, how do they sit still for that long? I'll have to read up on them. It will make a very great little vignette. I found one once on the school grounds when I worked there. It was a bit bigger than the one you found and it had an old white shoestring in it..I see that little squirming bundle!! He is hard to get a non-blurry picture, I bet..Happy Wednesday..Judy
ReplyDeleteAwww what a sweet, little nest, Denise. I sure don't know, but it does look like hummingbird size, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteDuncan is growing so much and I can tell that he's still feisty by the picture. I know he keeps you busy!
Hi Denise, that is a real sweet nest. I'm glad it doesn't have bugs and you can use it in the house in some way. Take care of yourself and stay warm...
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute! I'm so glad you found it and can enjoy it in the house. Duncan just looks precious. Love you, Mom
ReplyDelete