Mirroring nature's handiwork

Birds as master builders inspire the artwork of Cornell University graduate student Shea Hembrey. He believes humans have copied bird-craft over the millennia, perhaps leading to the development of basketry and weaving. "We watched birds and learned," he says.

Artist Shea Hembrey wove the nests of aluminum strips.

Ana Sousa (2)

It is clear Hembrey has been watching carefully. He has produced detailed replicas of bird nests out of soft, lightweight strips of aluminum. He calls them "mirror nests." He cuts each strip by hand, embosses them, and weaves them together using real nests as models. On average, it takes a couple of days to produce each one. Depending on the complexity of the nest, songbirds spend one to two weeks (or more) in construction, and they do it using only bills and bellies to mold the final shape.

A Baltimore Oriole mirror nest.

Hembrey says, "I always thought birds were amazing crafters, but after this project I realize how fully amazed I should be. How does a hummingbird, with that long saber of a beak and squat legs, build such a fine, smooth cup with that body?"

In a new exhibit, some of Hembrey's mirror nests are mounted along trails in Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary, in locations appropriate for each species. They will remain in place for at least a year. Seven other nests, with interpretive material, are displayed in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's observatory—human art mirroring nature's handiwork.

—Pat Leonard