Beauty in the Ordinary

This is not about being brilliant, or extraordinary, it's not about wanting to be famous, or making headlines, or trying to impress...this about sharing a 'gift' each day with the world...to lift the spirit of people when they read this blog, to show them the beauty in the ordinary.
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Raold Dahl

Monday, August 2, 2010

On Building a Nest



Dominique, at Slow Love Life, wrote this post called Egg Book the other day.  She included this beautiful photograph of a red-winged blackbird's egg featured in a book of photography called Egg and Nest, by Purcell, Hall and Corado

She goes on to speak about leaving dryer lint, hair from your hairbrush, dog hair
and even that funny multi-coloured 'straw' that goes into Easter baskets
out for the birds and mice to build their nests with.  This benefits both man and 
wee creatures as they love the soft fluffy materials, and we get to find the abandoned
nests in the fall and winter, lined with all this precious re-cycling. 

This small act of symbiosis seems perfect for August's Project Genesis
at The Old Grey Mare, so I am going to take the liberty of sending it there.
I think this idea is brilliant, and worth sharing!

I hope you don't mind Dominique.

16 comments:

  1. And here I thought my Dad and I were the only ones who did this. He told me years ago about it and I still do it in the spring. Every now and then I spy something in a nest because I often leave out red string so I can easily spot it. ...And I like to think the "she" birds are fussy with their home decoration too!

    z

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  2. Wouldn't that be perfect Suzan, if Mrs. Cardinal chose the red string over the blue as she felt it blended better with the green Easter basket straw!

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  3. Cuckoos visit the nest they intend to invade, then - miraculously - develop an egg inside themselves which mimics the colour and patterns of the species they have chosen to predate. How freaky is that?

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  4. Mother Nature is plenty weird Tom...

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  5. I always leave my dog fur in the garden for the birds and whenever I find a nest it is lined with lovely yellow lab fur. Last year I moved my wheelbarrow to find a nest of baby bunnies all snuggled up in my Gracie's hair.

    If you have ever owned a lab you know how much hair they lose. I am happy to have found a use for it, however small.

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  6. I had a bird use one of my peat pots, left in a terra cotta pot for their nest..so cute! Mother Nature is amazing; This is a wonderful idea~

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  7. Birds are so creative! I'm starting to think of all sorts of fun stuff to leave out for them(pink ribbons come to mind)...

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  8. Lovely idea, Jacqueline!

    One spring, I made a dreamcatcher with macrame cord and raw wool. It had a long, thick fringe and a centre with the softest tufts of wool I could find. I hung it in the carport to welcome visitors to our home. The weeks passed, and my hanging grew sparsper and more forlorn-looking as the birds and squirrels scurried off with lovely materials to build nests for their expected young. By the time the babies arrived, there was not a scrap of wool to be found on my hanging, and very little cord! I was thrilled that my creation had been put to good use in their own little works of art!
    The perfect art installation, don't you think...LOL.

    Lynette
    Imagination Lane

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  9. Oh every Spring I always leave dryer lint and hairbrush hair for the birds..my grandma taught me to do that...xoxo

    Thanks for visiting me the other day! xoxox

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  10. Hi Jacqueline
    Thanks for popping over my way.. love this idea although the birds can be a bit pesty around my area!! The artwork is lovely too.. Have a great week xxx Julie

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  11. I leave my dogs' fur out for the birdies too.......makes a nice soft little nest for them. Cool idea.

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  12. Lynette...yes, the most perfect art installation. It amazes me in all the recycling stuff I have read, I have never heard of doing this before...and confession, whenever I had seen people brushing their dogs in public places I used to think - yuck! But no more, not now that I know how useful that doggy hair is.
    Pink ribbon would be gorgeous Jessica...how's your house?
    Raz..would have loved to have seen those baby bunnies nestled in Gracie's fur.
    Thanks everyone...looking forward to September's revelations!

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  13. What a sweet idea! (and reading Slow Love this summer!)

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  14. Oh, my husky's fur was in nests all around the neighborhood! He was such a thoughtful pup when it came to our little feathered friends.

    This was perfect for Project Genesis. I was too late to link up, but I hope you'll stop by and read today's post if you get a minute.

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  15. Good idea to share. I too have left wool, dryer lint and dog hair out for the birds. I like the cute little wiry things you can buy to stuff it all in and hang from a tree.

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  16. Well, I have never heard of this before but will be leaving little goodies out for the little critters from now on! Thanks for sharing, Theresa

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