"For about two weeks we have been watching the same bird stalking our Labrador Retriever, Maple.
"When Maple takes a nap the bird flies down and spends several minutes pulling fur from her side and rear. Then the bird flies into a bush and adds the dog fur to her nest. We have filmed her doing this at least three times. Maple only occasionally wakes up during these "fur harvest" sessions." says Daniel Kersten, the owner of the sleepy lab.
Spring is here, and birds around the world—and in your backyard—are turning into construction crews. It’s nesting time!
So, what can you do about it? Well, you can provide nesting material of a wide variety of types that appeal to a wide variety of birds, attracting avians to your garden as surely as you would with a feeder.
Almost any kind of hair or wool will do. Dog hair is probably handiest for most people, especially when dogs are shedding in spring. Curry them, take the hair off the brush, and put it in your garden (we’ll talk below about ways to distribute it). You can also add some of your own hair to the mix, or hair from a horse or goat or wool from a sheep, should you have access to such animals.
Cut longer hair into 4- to 6-inch lengths. Hair works well for nesting, because it is durable and not inclined to soak up water. However, don’t use hair from animals that have been treated with pesticides, such as flea and tick spray.
"When Maple takes a nap the bird flies down and spends several minutes pulling fur from her side and rear. Then the bird flies into a bush and adds the dog fur to her nest. We have filmed her doing this at least three times. Maple only occasionally wakes up during these "fur harvest" sessions." says Daniel Kersten, the owner of the sleepy lab.
Spring is here, and birds around the world—and in your backyard—are turning into construction crews. It’s nesting time!
So, what can you do about it? Well, you can provide nesting material of a wide variety of types that appeal to a wide variety of birds, attracting avians to your garden as surely as you would with a feeder.
Almost any kind of hair or wool will do. Dog hair is probably handiest for most people, especially when dogs are shedding in spring. Curry them, take the hair off the brush, and put it in your garden (we’ll talk below about ways to distribute it). You can also add some of your own hair to the mix, or hair from a horse or goat or wool from a sheep, should you have access to such animals.
Cut longer hair into 4- to 6-inch lengths. Hair works well for nesting, because it is durable and not inclined to soak up water. However, don’t use hair from animals that have been treated with pesticides, such as flea and tick spray.
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