Hi Everyone!! I know some of you were following me and/or at least reading my blog when it was being hosted on Blogger. On my old blog I used to post a weekly crafty tip ranging from being green/recycling/repurposing, using a product in a different way, recipes for craft products, etc. Everyone seemed to really like the tips and as soon as I can figure out how to get my sidebars to work right in WordPress I will probably add this section again. ANYWAY, one of the tips I shared earlier this spring was called “For the Birds.” At the time, it didn’t include any photos just a quick blurb on how you can share some of your paper scraps and other household things with your winged friends to help them when building nests. This project is perfect for the spring – not really sure if they birds will make use of it during the end of summer/fall months but I had everything ready (I’ve been collecting for the past month or so) so I thought I’d post it anyway…!
If you have a clothes dryer, you have lint and probably LOTS of it that I bet you toss in the trash can…
If you’re a crafter, I bet you have LOTS of paper scraps that are too small to keep so you toss those in the trash can…
If you get LOTS of junk mail and are into shredding your mail I bet you have LOTS of shredded paper that you toss in the trash can or recycling bin….
If you’re a crafter and use fibers/strings/ribbons, etc.., I can guarantee you have little bits and pieces that are really worthless so you either throw them in a jar or toss those in your trash can….
If you’re a seamstress and/or do a lot of things with fabric you probably have TONS of fabric scraps that get tossed in the trash can…
If you brush or comb your hair I bet you’re constantly pulling your hair out of the bristles and tossing it in the trash can…
I’m sure I could think of many more things to add to this list! Here’s a photo of some of the “stuff” I would typically toss in the trash that I have collected over the past month or so to give to the birds! (Like I said this is perfect for springtime when the birds are nesting and looking to build a nest for their eggs)
A mesh bag from fresh produce works wonderfully for collecting your winged friend’s nest making goodies… The red mesh bag I used is from some Clementines we had earlier this summer. I collect all of the lint in a plastic shopping bag I have hanging in my laundry room. I’m constantly doing laundry so collecting a bag of lint happens pretty quickly around here! Once I have collected a 1/2 of a bag or so I transfer it to the mesh adding bits and pieces of the things above - I keep a bag in my craft room too that is just for the birds now that I know how much they love to add these things to their nests!
(Please don’t add things like Easter grass (the plastic kind) or any other things that could cause harm to a bird or nature.)
Once the bag is full, tie the top shut with a piece of string or ribbon and hang it from a tree in your yard. In the spring, it’s so much fun watching the birds pick through the mesh grabbing pieces of the lint, ribbon, fabric scraps, etc., to add to their nests! You’ll be surprised at how many birds this will attract and how often you will be refilling the bag!
If you don’t have any mesh bags you can also use chicken wire rolled into a cylinder or you can fill a bird feeder with the items too. If you don’t mind the mess, you can also just toss the lint and other miscellaneous scraps into your yard – personally, I prefer the bag because it’s neater and much more fun watching the birds pick through it!
I hope you enjoyed this very simple and super green project!
Olive helping my winged friends, don’t you?
xKim
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Some great tips!!! I knew about the dryer lint and a few others, but not all of them!
Agnes-
That’s a fabulous idea and you are sooo right! I have a planter with the coconut liner hanging from a tree in my backyard that has been torn to shreds by the birds and squirrels which I was going to pitch too! I will stuff it in the birdy bag with the rest of the goodies!
Thanks for suggesting this to all of us!
Kim
Love this idea!! I have always put out the dryer lint, but I have thrown out the rest of this stuff. Great green idea
You know what they like too? those coconut fibers some of us in our planters. I was going to get rid of my old ones in the beginning of the season and before I knew it the birds were taking it with them.
Thanks for the tips, especially the mesh bag to put outdoors.
What a great idea! TFS