Being a Good Neighbor to Birds During Nesting Season
By Steve Ellis
Bird nesting is in full swing, and all of us need to be aware that our actions can jeopardize eggs or nestlings. Several species, such as those that travel north from the tropics, only get one chance to breed per year. They can’t afford to lose a season’s breeding due to human interference.
Avoid activities that may disturb birds during nesting season
Keep pets away from known nest sites.
Don’t play calls or pish (an alarm call that many birders generate to attract birds) during the breeding season. You may frighten a parent off a nest, which leaves eggs or nestlings exposed to predation.
Don’t remove or break vegetation near a nest just to get a better look or a better photo.
Try not to prune or trim trees, bushes and hedges during the nesting season (roughly April through August). If you must, watch the area beforehand from a safe distance to see signs of nesting, such as birds often going in and out of a particular spot.
Keep children away from active nests. You can station them at a safe distance and have them keep track of how many visits parent birds make to the nest. You just might be influencing a budding ornithologist as well as protecting nesting species.
Read more about observing nests on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.
Provide materials that help birds build nests
Consider putting the following materials in areas where birds may be nesting:
Long dog hair that hasn't been treated with harsh chemicals
Pieces of cotton string that are 4" or shorter
Fluff material made from natural materials available from places that sell bird seed
Small strips of burlap
Also, leave a strip of grass growing all summer, so that it becomes material for nests the following spring, and keep a small patch of earth wet in the garden for mud to be used by robins for their nests.
There are many activities you can practice that can give birds a better chance of reproducing. It all boils down to being a good neighbor.
