dryer lint and humming birds

Dys--

Thanks for the hint. My humming bird feeders are up, but the squirrels have been raiding them.

I'm off to put out some drier lint to show my love of nature.

bump

My dryer lint--mostly navy blue--is available.

I was out early this morning (sunrise) and noticed their are 2 eggs in the nest. I also noticed that this is a new nest right next to what's left of last years nest.

Dys... hoping for a couple of hummers this spring. TMI!

taken this morning while mama hummer feeding;

dys, this is the closest that I can get to what my hummingbirds in Virginia resembled. I had no idea the trumpet vine was considered a weed. Tiny fragile eggs protected by common lint.

Noddy! Wait!!!

Today at the wild bird store, the lady said that she just heard in the last couple of days that dryer lint can cause problems on two fronts. First is softener sheets used in the dryer. They contain chemicals that can harm hummers; the second is that dryer lint hardens when it gets wet. I'm now testing that. I soaked some lint and am waiting for it to dry. Personally, I don't think that will be a problem as the nest is fine, the eggs are fine and little mother seems perfectly happy. I'll let you know as soon as it dries.

This lady reccommended putting out pieces of wool. The birds love it for their nests. They pull the individual threads out one at a time. Also, little pieces of plain old string. I do know that hummers use fluff found in flowers, small pieces of plant material and spider silk for strength and flexibility.

There is also dog hair from Sally and cat hair from Dante--you can see the white from Sally and the brown from Dante. Maybe that is why she doesn't try to shoo us off the way she did last year--she is used to the scent of the entire family.

PS I don't use dryer sheets, so if the lint doesn't harden after being wet, I will continue to put it out in the spring. I tuck it into little crevices in the tree and where the limbs branch.

My daughter cut my sons hair... in the backyard so they didn't have to clean up... the birds loved it.

Diane--

I don't use dryer sheets and my bits of lint have blown away.

Gone, gone with the wind.

There's some corgi hair wafting around Albuquerque too.

My feeders are out but no sightings yet.

Noddy, too bad the lint is gone with the wind. I tested the wet lint getting hard when it dried and it was just as soft as ever.

Dadpad, birds will use anything that is soft. A child's hair would be perfect. It is also sort of nice to think that your son's hair is helping to keep those little chicks nice and warm.

Osso, since some of that corgi hair can be found in our yard, I'll bet that Pacco is contributing to lots of birds nests right here.

MartyBaker, I was afraid that we were too late to expect a nesting hummer, but they came. Maybe since you are considerably farther north, it is just taking a little extra time. Good luck!!

Ok, ok, I'll do my damned laundry. (I've never used fabric softener in my life, or even vinegar, in laundry, no worries, m'lady.)











Have always wondered about the desire for limp laundry.....
well, hell, I've never used starch either.

We think the eggs might have hatched. I'll get Dys out there with the camera and report back.

Hummer nest 5/27/07 4:00 p.m. (not yet hatched)