Alpaca Wool: a Great Nesting Material for the Birds

Yesterday I talked about putting wood chips into a chickadee box and watching the chickadee pair "excavate" the box.  They do leave some of the chips in the bottom of the box and then cover the chips with soft fibers.  I've seen moss in a chickadee nest, as well as fibers taken from a coir doormat and animal hair.

For years, I've put cat hair in an old suet cage to provide birds with an easy source of nesting material.  I've also put out sheeps' wool and have had chickadees, titmice, even Purple Finches pull out wool to line their nests.  I pull tufts of the material out of the cage so the birds have an easy start at it.

 
Tufted Titmouse pulling wool for her nest


Female Purple Finch

This year I've put out a new nesting material that we're carrying at Wild Birds Unlimited - an alpaca wool nesting ball.  It is a bunch of multi-color real alpaca wool stuffed into a 5" grapevine ball.  I hung one the other day from my APS decorative branch and it took only 1/2 hour for the chickadees to start pulling wool out for their nearby nest.

Black-capped Chickadee with a tuft of alpaca wool for their nest.

Both of the chickadee pair are involved in nest-building.  They never seem to go straight from the nesting ball to their nest but often went to a tree to rearrange their find before heading to the box.

Tufted Titmice have been even more busy pulling the alpaca wool and they do it with reckless abandon.

She'll hang any which way, including upside down, and when you think she couldn't hold anymore in her beak, she'll stick her head back in there for more.

Tufties are known for using animal hair to line their nests.  We've heard stories of them plucking hair right out of a dog or even a sleeping man's head!

These natural materials are ideal to put out since they repel water and dry quickly.  After a full day of rain last Thursday, the alpaca ball was light and fluffy on Friday.  Avoid dryer lint - it hardens when it gets wet.  String and yards should be no longer than 3-4" long.

So why not consider putting out some natural nesting material for your birds - they'll put on a great show for you!

 

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Nan - greetings to you across the miles! Thanks for the thumbs up. Hugs & kisses to all of you.

[Nan]

Love the picture of the chickadee with the blossoms. Beautiful!

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

CFG - Thanks much. The alpaca works great for the birds!

[Crafty Green Poet]

what wonderful photos! A lovely idea too to leave out natural nesting materials like that.