Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson XXXV · Topic 2: Bird study: birds to know
35. The study of birds' nests in winter
Goal: Your child can describe an empty nest found in winter (where it was, its size, shape, materials and lining) and guess which bird built it.
You'll need
- A winter walk among bare shrubs, hedges and small trees
- A ruler or tape measure
- A camera or phone for photos (optional)
- A bird nest guide or library book, if you have one
- Nature notebook
What's in the book
A short essay on why nests should be studied in winter, not summer; how to label a nest collection (bird, place, kind of tree, height); and an eight-part outline for studying a nest: where it was, rain protection, size, form, outside materials, lining, how it is held together, and how it is hidden.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Late fall and winter, after the leaves drop and the birds have gone. Hedges, roadside shrubs, small trees, vines and barn eaves all hide old nests that were invisible in summer.
Why winter?
Read this from Comstock aloud; it explains the whole lesson:
There are very good reasons for not studying birds' nests in summer, since too much familiarity on the part of eager children is something the birds do not understand and are likely, in consequence, to abandon both nest and locality.
A note on collecting
Comstock's schools made large collections of winter nests. In the United States today, the law protects the nests of almost all native wild birds, even old empty ones. So do this lesson as a nest hunt: study, measure, photograph and draw each nest where you find it, and leave it there.
Hunt for nests
Walk slowly and look into the forks of shrubs and small trees. When you find one:
Where was the nest found?
How high from the ground, and what was the locality?
Did the nest have any arrangement to protect it from rain?
Measure and look
Give the size of the nest, the diameter of the inside and the outside; also the depth of the inside.
Is the nest shaped like a cup, basket or pocket?
What materials compose the outside of the nest and how are they arranged?
Measure without pulling the nest from its branch. Look, don't touch: old nests can hold mites and droppings. If anyone does touch one, wash hands.
How was it built?
How are the materials of the nest held together, that is, are they woven, plastered, or held in place by environment?
Had the nest anything peculiar about it either in situation, construction or material that would tend to render it invisible to the casual glance?
Think of the robin's mud nest (Lesson X), the chippy's hair lining (Lesson XX), and the oriole's woven pocket (Lesson XXX).
Who built it?
Using what you know and a guide book, guess the builder. Comstock's label had four lines; fill them in for your nest:
Name of the bird which built the nest.
Where the nest was found.
If in a tree, what kind?
How high from the ground?
Nature notebook
Draw the nest life size if it fits on the page, with its measurements, and write Comstock's four label lines under it. Add a photo if you took one.
Afterwards
Keep a winter nest map: mark each nest you find on a sketch of your street or park. In spring, watch to see who comes back to that spot.
Tip
Comstock suggests Bird Homes by A. R. Dugmore for naming nests. Any modern nest field guide does the same job.