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| Each winter I look out the window and see the abandoned 6 year old bird nest in our tree.
Has anyone else ever wondered.......... Why don't the bird nests eventually turn to compost and fall out of the tree? ( or do they ? ) The material it's made from is all compost material. There's air and water provided....... |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Wow! Are things that boring in Saskatchewan??!! Course, now I'm gonna lie awake all night pondering that!! (it's boring here in MB too) Lloyd |
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- Posted by nutsaboutflowers (My Page) on Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 13:51
| Yes, Lloyd, winter is brutal here. Not a fan. Lots of spare time to kill. Actually, it's sunny out today and only about -14, so I'm looking out the window and thinking of going out. Other days, I don't even look outside much. It's just too annoying to see all the snow. So, ponder the bird nests and let me know what you think =:) |
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| Ya, not able to do outside work I've upped the volunteering. As for killing spare time, I do dishes at the Legion for weddings/socials type things and just recently started doing morning dishes at a soup kitchen in Winnipeg when I am on the afternoon shifts. Lloyd |
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| Bird's nests are not in contact with the soil microbes that contribute to decomposition. Also, many birds are incredible architects, constructing nests that are durable, wind resistant, and weather tolerant. Some birds even use water repelling techniques. |
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- Posted by nutsaboutflowers (My Page) on Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 15:37
| Good point Rhizo. However, people make compost in bins that aren't in contact with any soil. And......since a lot of the material the birds use is picked up off the ground, I'd think we could safely assume there's a bit of soil attached with thousands of microbes in those little specs of dirt. Yes, no, maybe ?? Possibly the ratio of green and browns is off, but wouldn't all compostable material sooner or later break down? So, now to add to the mix, assuming at least three trees on our property are at least 30 years old, and some people's farms have hundreds and thousands of trees, wouldn't there be at least one nest in each tree (give or take) within the lifetime of the trees? So, where's the bird nests if they don't compost?? Ha! Ha! Yes, lots of time on my hands and curious about nature =:) |
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- Posted by tsugajunkie (My Page) on Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 16:44
| The stuff on the outside of my compost would take a looooong time to break down if I didn't turn it at least once. Perhaps some nests have better drainage than others and dry out too quickly to break down. Hasn't been winter long enough here to contemplate much further...yet. tj |
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Backyard buddies: 
Al |
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- Posted by tiffy_z5_6_can (My Page) on Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 18:01
| It's ONLY -14C??????? I think I'll stay here in the east... I once ventured into Edmonton in February and swore I would never do it again. So far, so good! Yep, call me a whimp! |
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- Posted by borderbarb (My Page) on Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 18:56
| OK tapla .... that's many days worth of good deeds in those pictures! What kind of bird is that? Chickadee? Peterson's Guide to Western Birds shows the range not quite in my SoCalif area, but I swear I have one in my yard. Very bold little fellow, who swoops down to get water from my pool. Anyway .... thanks! |
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| Wow. Nice job, Al! I've hand fed pine siskins, but I've never had luck with chickadees. |
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| "Why don't the bird nests eventually turn to compost and fall out of the tree? ( or do they ? )" Around this area, the reason bird's nests won't compost is they are woven or constructed of almost exclusively carbonaceous material. I see ravelings of plastic too...last summer I noticed a bird constantly picking at an area on the fence WTH? I had looped a length of plastic baler tie there while spreading straw. The birds separated the strands and flew off with them. Impressive diligence. |
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| The birds nests built in trees around here often get blown out of the tree, eventually, and then do get digested. The very few I have seen stick fairly tight will, over time, get torn apart by the winds. Some birds will reuse last years nest, either rebuilding that one, Eagles and some others, or tearing thhe old one apart to reuse the material from that old nest. I have found Chickadee nests the following spring and had them kept by a school teacher for several years in the classroom because there is nothing but dry grass and other dry material used in construction so no moisture no bacterial activity to digest it. |
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| I don't feed the birds because of the cat. But I do plant foods for them. I figure they will stay alert if they are foraging as they normally would. But your pictures sure are great. |
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| Nice Al! How long did you have to stand still to get one to come in like that? I can stand beside the feeders and they will come to the feeder but they won't take from my hand. I guess I'd have to take away the feeders first. We go through about three 44 pound bags every winter. Even the little bunnies get in on it by eating a lot of the shells and seeds that get thrown onto the ground. Lloyd |
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| It took less than 5 minutes to get them to eat from my hand in the near vicinity of the bird feeder, but I can do the same thing with some species of birds almost anywhere, as long as they are accustomed to returning to the same spot for a hand-out. Part of the key is learning how to adopt a non-threatening posture at first. Lean against a tree by the bird feeder & put the seeds on your hat at first. Don't look directly at the birds. Raise your shoulders & tuck your chin against your chest/neck with your head down. Keep your hands in your pockets & your arms close to your body. Leaning your head against the tree encourages nuthatches (if you have them) to hop onto your hat. They are, unlike chickadees, very reluctant to land directly on you, but don't seem to mind hopping from the tree to your hat or hopping down an arm to your hand after they're used to you. (In northern climes), you'll have much better success if you have a wooded spot to go to where there are no nearby feeders. Go there and hang a suet block so it hangs near a spot that will be comfortable for you to stand or sit, but don't hang it low enough that predators can get at it. If you come back the next day & follow the procedure I outlined, you'll soon have birds eating from your hand. This only works well in the winter, when the only insects available are those wintering in their hidey holes. For a really cool picture, in addition to all the birds on your hat/hands/shoulders, put a sunflower between your lips & put your hand against your chin to provide a perch for the chickadees. They'll hop on your hand & take the seed from your lips, giving you a 'kiss' in the process. You need a partner that has some familiarity with a camera to get the best shots. My problem is mine won't venture out into the cold to take 'bird pictures'. ;o) Al
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- Posted by darth_weeder (My Page) on Fri, Dec 10, 10 at 15:29
| Al, you should have that recurring rash looked at. It appears to be seasonal. cool pics |
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| Great pics Al-----Pls keep 'em coming----an inspiration to put out seeds and suet for our feathered friends who hang around with us through the deep freeze----16 degrees in Bama this week----ouch !!----Merry Christmas all---JB |
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| Our local paper had a photo of a city pigeon's nest, complete with eggs, made entirely of fine wire from a building site. Pretty sure it wasn't a hoax, knowing pigeons... |
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| Chickadees are only sometimes patient. They usually wait their turn to come to the hand, which is why you only see one bird at a time. Often, though, if the bird on the hand seems to be taking too long, another bird will fly directly at it to frighten it off the seeds so the interloper can take it's place. What you DON'T see, are the dozens of birds perched on my shoulders, hat, even on the camera straps while I'm taking pictures of other birds. I have an interesting theme involving a prop I want to try to capture this weekend. We'll see how that goes - hopefully the weather will cooperate.
Al |
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| Al, You might not be the Birdman of Alcatraz, but rather a great birdman of the North! |
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- Posted by tsugajunkie (My Page) on Fri, Dec 10, 10 at 22:32
| Nice pics, Al. I've had chickadees eat out of my hand, but there's no way I could hold the one hand out that long and be steady enough with the other hand to take the great shots you did. tj |
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| It seems like everyone thinks it takes a long time to get the birds that tame, and you need to be very still, but after a day or two I can move around freely and could even be talking to you and the chickadees wouldn't mind the company. They'd be perched on shoulders, hat, clinging to arms, waiting for their turn at the handouts. I'm steadily snapping pictures. Something usually goes wrong - the bird moves, the camera automatically returns to regular focus (rather than macro-focus) after a certain period of time, the bird flies off before the shot & I get an empty hand ....... so only about 1 out of 5-6 shots get saved. I'll have to find a partner so you can see a wider variety of shots. Yell at me if you feel like I've hi-jacked your thread, Nutsaboutflowers. I'm sort of conflicted about posting. There's a fun thread HERE though, where I'll be posting more pictures. It's got some good stories on it, so you might find it worth the trip. ;o) Al |
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| I understand about posting. I haven't been made to feel welcome that's for sure. |
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| Al, I tried to go to your link but it just goes to a GW home page. At -29C this morning with a -41C windchill(-42F, we tie at -40!), it's gonna have to wait before I try the hand feeding! TK, I didn't understand your last, sorry. Lloyd |
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| Sorry, Lloyd. Try THIS ONE, or the one below. They're linked to the same thread. Al |
Here is a link that might be useful: Something for grins & giggles
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| WOW! Al, is it true a bird in the hand, is worth two in the Bush? Hey, some one had to ask. I live in South Carolina--12 to -7c/10 to 20F. Do not get mad ,get even, next summer/fall remind me that it is only 85F or 90F. I will be in the shade at 95F to 110F, & that before Global warming was a word. |
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| I'm not sure of the actual value, but a bird in the hand is better than one overhead .... the thought of which sort of makes me a little thankful that cows don't fly. Al
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- Posted by sandhill_farms (My Page) on Mon, Dec 20, 10 at 17:43
| "WOW! Al, is it true a bird in the hand, is worth two in the Bush?" Well it must be true, that's what they say on that TV commercial. |
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