A very labour-intensive activity for birds is building nests. They must first select a nesting site, find all the materials they need, carry them back to the nesting site, and then construct it.

All of this is extra activity that must be done inbetween their normal activities of find food and water. Give the birds in your area a helping hand by providing a stash of nesting materials from which they can choose.

Place the nesting materials in piles on the ground if they won’t blow away. Otherwise, put them in suet cages or in string bags so the birds can easily get to the nesting materials.

Here are some things you can put out:
· Thin twigs
· Dog hair (I put out the hair from my dog after she is groomed)
· Human hair (put out the hair you pull out of your brush)
· Thin strips of cloth, about an 1 wide and 6 inches long
· Feathers
· Long dried grasses
· Yarn, thread or string cut into 4 inch lengths
· Pieces of cotton
· Long wilted leaves from daffodils, tulips or iris
· Fuzzy lint from your dryer
· Strips of cellophane or cut up plastic sacks
· Spanish moss
· Pine needles
· Strips of fabric softener sheets

As well as using the above materials, the birds may also use butterfly wings, flower petals, spider webs, snake skins, horse hair, and other found materials, even some of their own feathers to make the nest or to line it.

Some birds use mud to construct their nests. Keep a muddy puddle in your garden available for their use.