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Who Could Be Nesting in Your Garden?
By Lisa Hug
As March delivers spring to Sonoma County, we are anxious to clean up our
Ultimately, the birds need a structure or substrate on which to build their nests. Some birds such as Black Phoebes and House Finches are adept at placing their nests on buildings. Robins and Mockingbirds just need a tree limb or a fork in
 gardens from the ravages of winter.
Trees are leafing and flowers are blossoming everywhere. Muddy patches
are filling in with lush green grass or ground cover. We start wondering where to place our petunias or snapdragons. The days are longer and the sun is high. We peel off winter layers and soak in the warmth in shirtsleeves.
Notice that our gardens are suddenly filled with bird sounds. We hear twitters and cheeps and melodic tunes. The male birds are singing loudly to attract female mates. And in turn, the females are hustling about gathering
nesting material and building complex nests in which to lay their eggs.
a tree. Chickadees and Bluebirds need a hole either in a tree or in a man-made nest box.
 As we spend time in our garden in spring we can’t help but wonder what kinds of birds are nesting in our humble suburban gardens. And what do they need in order to nest in our gardens?
Birds will also seek out fresh water sources in the spring. They will use the water to mix with saliva to make a sort of “glue” for nest-construction.
These nests vary in
size, complexity and elaborateness. We, as mere humans, couldn’t possibly recreate these shelters even with our dexterous hands with opposable thumbs. We have to wonder how these birds can build these magnificent nests with just simple beaks and tiny toothpick-like legs
In addition to a nesting substrate, birds need building materials.
If your garden is too “clean,” it could be difficult for birds to find sticks, twigs, grasses, or even mud and water. You might want to leave a little pile of varying-sized sticks and let the grass grow a few inches and leave some clippings around for the birds to find.
You can try hanging items out for birds to use, such as human hair, pet hair, hay or straw. If you decide to put out nesting material, always use natural, biodegradable materials. Birds will use yarn or wires, but it is not healthy for them or the environment.
NESTING cont’d on page 5
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