How to Make a Hummingbird Nesting Area

Make a nest to lure these beautiful creatures to your back yard.

Hummingbirds are beautiful birds that are impressive to watch. Their wings move so fast that they appear to be floating in the air. They typically have a long, distinctive beak and are spotted in a variety of bright, vibrant colors. Most of their habitats are scattered throughout the Americas with increased populations in warmer climates. Like most birds, hummingbirds will migrate south in the winter and return to your back yard in spring and summer. Because spotting a hummingbird regularly is rare even in the summer months, creating a hummingbird nesting area can enhance your bird-watching experience.

Things You'll Need

• 1 piece of green construction paper cut into half-inch strips
• 1 piece of brown construction paper cut into half-inch strips
• 10 12-inch pieces of neutral-colored string
• 13 12-inch pieces of neutral-colored twine
• 12 12-inch pieces of neutral-colored yarn
• 9 cotton balls
• 2 neutral-colored rubber bands cut into long pieces
• 10 small, bendable twigs about 8 inches long and 1/8 inch in diameter

Instructions

1. Align the strips of construction paper, 10 pieces of string, 10 strands of twine, 10 strips of yarn and 5 stretched cotton balls into rows using the same material in each row. These items will be used to create the base of the nest.

2. Weave the paper, strings and cotton in a straight line that mimics the appearance of a small, loosely bound rope. You can use braiding and twisting techniques to intertwine each of the materials so they interlock with one another. Keep in mind that the surface of the nest needs to be soft--so add extra cotton to your weaving pattern to provide additional cushion.

3. Weave the long strips of the rubber bands into the middle of the interlocking materials you created earlier. This creates an expandable nest suitable for growth of a baby hummingbird while not exposing the bird directly to the rubber band.

4. Create a small cup shape, about 2 inches wide, with the loose rope of materials, leaving a small opening in the bottom. Using a piece of yarn, tie the ends of the material in place so that your cylinder holds its shape. Avoid tying the ends too tightly so you create an even surface around the nest.

5. Turn your nest over so that the small hole at the bottom is facing up. Bend the small twigs so that they make an upside down "U" shape. Push each end through the middle of the sides of the nest so the upside down "U" holds its shape. Put enough twigs throughout the bottom of the nest to cover the hole completely.

6. Turn the nest back over and trim off any of the twig ends that protrude past the height of the nest. This will aid in keeping the top surface of the nest consistent.

7. Add the remaining broken-down cotton balls to the bottom of the nest to cover the twigs and add cushion. Consider pushing pieces of the cotton balls between the twigs to increase comfort.

8. Attach your hummingbird nest to the fork of two branches in a tree using a piece of twine. Loop one end of your attaching string through the lower side of the nesting material. Repeat the same step on the opposite side of the nest and tie each string to the branch that corresponds to the string side of the nest. If the nest does not appear sturdy, use an additional string to tie the base branch--where the two branches split off--to the corresponding side of the nest.

References

• Building a Hummingbird Nest