I think spring is finally beginning to show its face... its big, beautiful, sunshiny face!! 🌞

I am so ready, aren't you!?

I'm ready to get my yard cleaned up and start planting some flowers!

I can hear the birds chirping outside as they start building their nests.

Speaking of birds, I was on one of my favorite shopping sites back when I was doing some online Christmas shopping and I saw a wool nest starter ball... basically, a wire ball that is stuffed with pieces of wool. The birds come and pick out pieces of the wool to use in their nests.

I decided to DIY my own nest starter for my bird friends!

DIY Spring Nest Starter For The Birds

This is the Wool Nest Starter Ball I saw on Uncommon Goods.

When I saw it, I thought of these rusty bed springs that I have, I thought they would work perfectly to DIY a nest starter! 

I picked up a bunch of these springs on one of my trips to The Dump. You can get bedsprings on Etsy if you don't have any, HERE.

Here are the nest starter materials I used for my DIY version:

NOTE: all of the ribbon, yarn, raffia, and the like should be cut to no more than 2 inches long so the baby bird's little feet don't get entangled 😊

• Ribbon - only natural materials, no nylon or plastic
• Pieces of yarn - cut very short
• Colorful wool roving
• Dryer lint - not if you use fabric softener sheets
• Raffia
• Sphagnum moss

Other options:

• Twigs from the yard
• bristles from an old whisk broom

I just started combining all the different materials and mixing it up until it was basically just a big mess! 😂

I just shoved this big ball of nesting materials inside the spring!

I hung it in the tree in my backyard.

It helps to cover the bottom with a piece of chicken wire so the stuff won't fall out.

I'll be checking out nearby nests to see if I can spot any of these colorful pieces in them! 😃

**UPDATE - I have done some research and have learned that yarn and ribbon are not good for birds unless it is cut into tiny pieces (no longer than 2") and made of natural materials. The baby birds can get tangled in them and choke or not be able to leave the nest if their little feet get caught. I have removed this nest starter from my tree, removed the ribbons, and cut the other things into small pieces. There is a great article here about it: How to Help Make a Bird's Nest

I have received some very hateful messages regarding this post am very sad that grown adults choose to be so hateful via email or social media. I bet they wouldn't be so mean about things if they were standing face-to-face with me rather than hiding behind a computer screen and acting so nasty. I have also received some very respectful and helpful comments, so thank you to those people.