Friday, May 27, 2022

Help Birds With Your Pet´s Hair

Over the years of living in the middle of nature we have noticed how the birds collect the fluffy undercoat that our huskies shed each spring, and add it to their nest building materials.

Also, we´ve seen them use it to fill in the bird houses for the upcoming nesting time.
Once on a walk after a wind storm, we found an old empty bird nest from a small species, most likely a bullfinch, on the ground. 

I picked it up to closely examine what materials were used to build this masterpiece, that was fully yet firm and woven with perfection. 

It contained fox hair, fireweed fluff, moose hair, moss, two sorts of lichen, tiny twigs, blades of grass and fluffy small feathers. A work of art indeed!


With the ever-so-fast decimation of forests in our area many bird species are on a decline too.

This is something Jachym and I (and really anyone living in this area, with an open mind, eyes, ears and heart) see clearly and far way better than any forest company employee or the town council employee who doesn´t even come out here, to compare years, months, etc.

It is an alarming and obvious sign of human over-consumption of everything, but let´s not dwell on this in here, as this post is inspire you how you can add a helping hand without much effort and without any cost.

So, if you´d like to make the life of birds a little easier you can do the same we do, which has proven to be effective and much appreciated by the little ones!

 
When we saw the birds´ big interest in our huskies´ undercoat, we placed a handful in one of the spiral tallow ball bird feeders and hung it from our gigantic larch tree,  where we have the bird feeding and watering station. Then we could just sit in the kitchen by the window and drink a cup of coffee while watching the traffic as the birds flew in and out with the husky fluff, coming for more.

Today we have several of these placed around the property, higher in the branches, more distant from where our cats often roam. 

Modra gladly donates parts of her undercoat
after a well-enjoyed grooming session

You can use the undercoat from any dog or cat, It doesn´t have to be a northern breed. The most important thing to NOT do is using any long tight hairs, such as the ones in horse maine or tails, that might be harmful if the birds get entangled in them. Many birds die because they get strangled by these long hairs, or they get blood supply cut off from their legs, etc. 

It is really a nice feeling to know you are supporting the animals who have it harder and harder to co-exist with the ever-expanding humans and our world. And it is a fun activity you can do with your kids, and perhaps a nice reason to go out for a walk and experience nature and get your legs stretched. A win-win. 

Until next time, stay safe and happy trails!

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