Share your Scraps with the Birds

I don't know what prompted me to visit this site, but I want to share with you what I found there.  If you click on the link, you'll find an article written by Sue Sierralupe entitled, "Sharing Nesting Material with Wild Birds."  What a great idea!  I don't know about you, but since I started quilting, I can hardly stand to throw anything away.  Everything seems to have some use--my crumbs, strips, scraps, and now even my scrap thread!  What a great hobby.

So I got kind of excited about this.  We really try to keep our place wildlife friendly by feeding the birds, giving them water, and leaving a wild area on the far corner of the property.  By that I mean, we let the   grass grow up as tall as it can.  It provides a good habitat for bugs, butterflies, ground nesting birds, and deer.  We find areas where deer have bedded down, and we routinely have a pheasant pair running around.  We've also seen wild turkeys and grouse, a great horned owl, and even a great blue heron.  We provide peanuts, black oil sunflower seed, and now scratch grains for the birds.  When we added the scratch grains, we attracted even more variety, including quail.  Aren't they so funny with their little dingle ball dangling in front of their face?  My husband I joke that they use it to know which way they're going.  Kind of a little birdie GPS system. 

At one point, we had our garden certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a certified wildlife habitat.  It's really not as fancy as it sounds.  All we did was to fill out a questionnaire and pay the money for a sign.  All proceeds go toward their mission.  I got kind of mad at them though because they're constantly sending me requests for donations in which they'll give me some cheap trinket in return.  I always think that those trinkets, backpacks, and such (not to mention postage) must cut into what I donate to them.  It made me wonder how much really did go to their mission.  But that's a side note.

As for giving my thread to the birds:  Please note that the article says to cut things into strips no longer than three inches.  Apparently, it's easy for them to get their little birdie feet, beaks, and necks tangled up in pieces longer than that.  And cutting them to the right size is easy enough to do.  I chuck all my clipped threads into an empty kleenex box that I've taken the plastic insert out of.  It works really well for me.  Then I decided to purchase one of those hanging baskets that is lined with peat (or whatever it is).

I got mine at Home Depot.  For now, I'm just keeping it in my sewing room, and when I cut those really skinny strips from the edges of yardage or empty out my thread clippings, I just take my scissors and roughly cut everything into pieces no longer than three inches.  It's very simple, and it satisfies the frugal quilter in me.  I've started adding my dryer lint too.  Just think how soft that would be.

As you can see, I have a long way to go to fill it up.  By Spring, I should have plenty, and then I'll hang it outside and watch them go after it. 

That will give me something to look forward to since it doesn't look like my tomatoes are going to ripen. 

Thank you Sue Sierralupe for an excellent tip and an excellent article.  You really do learn something new every day.  Of course, you have to open your mind first.