My husband asked me again recently how I so quickly find the nests of birds. We’ll walk down the sidewalk together, and I’ll point out that robin’s muddy nest or that sparrow’s tightly cupped nest or that mourning dove’s loose pile of sticks that’s actually a nest.
I tell him that I know where and how to look. Without knowing where to look or how to look, you’d never see them.
Where to look: in the morning, notice the activity of the birds having their breakfast. They’ll be on the ground feeding or out and about to eat berries and insects. But then, they return to either build the nest, lay the egg, or tend the nest. Watch where they go. See where they dart into a tree or shrub. That’s where the nest is. The only way I’ve ever found sparrows or finches nesting is to watch where they fly to in the morning.
How to look: If you don’t see any birds flying to their nests, don’t worry. You can find nests by simply looking for variations in pattern or color as you gaze at the trees. I look for shadows. I look for the darkness. That’s usually where some little bird has tucked a nest.
Enjoy this season of birds nesting!