Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Snake skins as nest filler?



A few weeks ago as I cleaned out my blue bird house,
I was shocked to find a snake skin intertwined in an old nest.
Last year I had hoped for a blue bird to build its nest in my box,
but had never noticed any nesting going on.

Bluebirds had come and looked at it,
but I didn't think it had met with their qualifications.
If they raised babies there, I hadn't seen them!
So as I removed the old nest,
I wondered what bird had resided there last year.
AND...
What bird would use snake skins as their nesting material?!!!


So, yesterday I was surprised to see a pair of birds checking out the box.
It was the Nuthatches!


I wondered if they had been the tenants from last year.
Were they the ones who had used the snake skins in building their nest?
If so, is this a usual practice?
Was it good nesting material,
or did it keep other predators away?

The female went in and out of the box multiple times,
while the male scurried around the outside
appearing to check the surroundings.


When the female stayed inside the box for a prolonged period of time.
the impatient male poked his head in to check on her.



"Whatcha doing in there, honey?"
he seemed to be saying.
"Do you think this is the right place to build a nest?"


I'm not sure what her answer was,
but she looked pretty satisfied.
It remains to be seen if that's where they choose to raise their babies!

Because I am no expert,
seeing God's hand in nature reminds me of this verse from Luke 10:21,
, "O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way."

...And this verse from Psalm 84:3:
"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God! "


To see the Name for God painted on Rocks for this week, click   HERE!

17 comments:

aspiritofsimplicity said...

I have known birds to use all sorts of things to build nests. I love to watch them.

Anonymous said...

I imagine it would be good nest material. I love seeing the birds use the feathers and fur from my animals to build their nests.

Anonymous said...

So delightful ~ lovely photos of beautiful birds and imagine birds use everything and anything to build nests ~they are so creative ~ Enjoy ^_^

Pondside said...

What a great view you have of the new homeowners. I'm sure they'll soon be winging back and forth with tidbits for the chicks-to-come.

Leovi said...

Yes, delicious photos certainly nice nest found. Greetings.

Lola said...

Hi again! Love the post – great pics!

I love watching birds with their nests here too!

Have a great weekend and look forward to *seeing* you again!

Sandra Tyler said...

well that's different!

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

That reminds me, it's time to go clean out all my bird houses!

EG CameraGirl said...

A snake skin does seem strange as I would have thought the skin would have scared birds away. There's so much about nature that's a mystery to me!

Lmkazmierczak said...

Fascinating♫ Great series of shots! My S: http://lmkazmierczak.blogspot.com/2013/03/satans-standing-room.html

My name is Riet said...

Dn! Think the birds liked the sight of that skin.

Anonymous said...

I hope they decide to rent. Sounds like you'll be a good landlord. :)

Anonymous said...

I hope your nuthatches stay--then we'll get to see more pictures! :)

Unknown said...

Yay! Very nice post and I love the photos, too.

Hugs
Scudds

Anonymous said...

It makes me wonder if the snake wasn't nesting in there last year. The winged residents in my trees surrounding my yard bring me much delight - so glad you have new residents! Your photos and commentary were so enjoyable!

Jenny said...

This Seems like a very Strange nesting material...

Perhaps the little birdies were Short on Supplies... (((winkwink)))

Spectacular post for the letter S...

Thanks for linking.

A+

Unknown said...

My first thought was, "Oh, no! Did a snake get the bird eggs?!" That said, I really enjoyed your story and photos. Ever thought of writing a children's book?