Funky Nest Entries 191-200
191. Tabby Fique, Education Director/Easement Coordinator, Howard County Conservancy, Woodstock, Maryland
This bird’s nest was found a few years ago in Howard County Maryland by one of our volunteer naturalists. The volunteer had left their garage door open for a couple weeks one spring. The next time that volunteer went to ride their bicycle they found this nest in their bike helmet. A bird lover, the volunteer left the garage door open slightly for the rest of the spring and summer and when the birds were done with their nest at the end of the season, our volunteer donated the nest and helmet to the Conservancy. I now use the nest in the Conservancy’s kindergarten program about birds. It shows children that some birds build their nests in the strangest places and we discuss if the children think it would be a good idea or a bad idea for a bird to build its nest in someone’s bike helmet. I submitted this entry because this is the funkiest location for a bird’s nest that I have seen.
192. Laura Blakesley, Charlotte, North Carolina
While visiting my sister in law in Gilbert, MN we took this photo of a
mother robin on a very decorative funky nest. My sister in law likes to
decorate the back wall of her house with wreaths, changing the décor with
the seasons. But she waited a little too long making the change over from
winter to spring wreath, as Ms. Robin had already made herself comfortable
and moved her family in. So of course it could not now be changed ! She
had to wait awhile to change over to a summer decoration, when the babies
were on their own.
193. Dot Putyrske, South Plainfield, New Jersey
These little guys (house finches) have returned for the last three+ years now nesting in my front door flower arrangement. They come in the April/May timeframe. One year, they returned a second time in the same nesting season. There are usually about five babies in there. The last picture was taken from inside my house and is my very favorite picture. Once they leave their nest, I clean out the old nest and replace the flowers so they can once again start anew with a clean area. I always get excited to know they have returned and check on them periodically to see how quickly they grow. It’s amazing to see that within 10-14 days, they are old enough to leave the nest -- then I miss them!
194. Amanda Kennerly, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
This is a Carolina Wren's nest. The pair nests in hanging plants on my back deck each spring. This spring it was a little cold, I put my plants out late, so I bought a wren house & hung it up instead. (You can see it in the picture). The wrens ignored it & nested in a pair of lifejackets I had hanging up on the deck. Now I have to buy new lifejackets, I love this nest. Will they use it next year?"
195. Katie Long, Fort Worth, Texas
Our parsonage in Fort Worth was visited every year by barn swallows, who would build their nest in the same place over our front porch. After a couple of years, the group needed an “annex” for a second nesting pair. So they built an auxiliary nest above the patio. Conditions in the annex suggested there would be additional building the next year.
196. Jill Young, Hartville, Ohio
I’ve submitted this entry, because we thought it was a funny place to build a nest. We didn’t get the tiki torches put away at the end of the summer last year and the robin thought that looked like a great spot to build a nest this year. Have to give the robin credit, it was a well built nest.
197. Lila Quillin, Berlin, Maryland
I thought it was fun to think about a bird's nest in a funky place. I live near a lot of wildlife and I love to do drawings and other art projects. So, I thought this was a very interesting project. I wanted to think of something funny that would be unexpected. I chose a turtle because I wanted it to have to do with another animal, and a turtle seemed like a really weird place.
198. Pat Pilling, Bishopville, Maryland
My husband has a forge that he keeps inside our garage. The door is usually closed, but there is a small gap at the bottom of the door. While working one day in the garage, he saw a pair of Carolina Wrens making those nest building trips to the forge. He leaves a bigger gap for them now and of course there is no blacksmithing going on until the wrens are done with the nest. It is possible to open the door to get the group photo. There are three baby wrens if you zoom in close.
I suppose they were looking for warm and dry since this nest is inside a forge that can heat up to 2400 degrees inside a garage.
199. Tim Boyle, Minneapolis, Minnesota
The robin's nest on top of the bat house on the highest gable of our roof. I guess the robins don't like mosquitoes either. 
200. Anne Marie Smith, Rose Valley, Pennsylvania
For the past several years a pair of Carolina Wrens have nested in our canoe, which hangs upside down in our carport. We hung a wooden nest box in a corner of the carport, but they have repeatedly rejected it in favor of the canoe.
