Birds use variety of materials in nests; not every choice is a good one

DEAR JOAN A while back you mentioned I believe one should put out dryer lint for birds to use as nesting material Is this the time Nancy Toledo Santa Clara DEAR NANCY It s never a good time to put dryer lint out for the birds It s a tempting choice being so fluffy but it doesn t hold up under chick-raising conditions and can dissolve in the rain or an aggressive sprinkler making the nest unstable Related Articles Why do birds have different types of wings What s with San Jose bird s obsessive twig collecting Tick-borne diseases skyrocket Protect yourself before it s too late Watch During Monday s quake elephants form alert circle at San Diego Safari Park What animal turned my car into a prickly pear pantry Bulk birds have already constructed their nests although they will continue to add material here and there At the start of next year make small twigs and leaves grass clippings as long as you don t use chemicals on your lawn and small pieces of straw available Chosen birds use mud to either build or shore up their nests so leaving a muddy patch of ground unadorned would be appreciated by them A large number of birds use fluff from plants and weeds to line their nests giving you encouragement to grow native plants and forgiveness if you re a tad behind on pulling weeds Chosen use the surprisingly strong spider webs to help hold their nests together so that s another plus for letting spiders live in our gardens Besides dryer lint don t be tempted to put out yarn or human hair as nesting materials Birds especially young chicks can become entangled in them leading to deaths or the loss of a foot Dog and cat fur is also risky especially if the pet has been treated for ticks and fleas DEAR JOAN I noticed a meager days back that the level of liquid in my four hummingbird feeders wasn t going down I also noticed that I m not seeing or hearing the hummingbirds Where have they gone James Reedy Campbell DEAR JAMES Although their disappearance from your feeders might seem alarming majority likely there s nothing to worry about When the migratory birds return to the Bay Area from their winter homes joining our loyal round-year resident hummers they arrive tired and hungry Backyard birders often find their feeders swarmed In time however the birds get busy with other things such as visiting all the spring flowers feasting on insects and starting families A small portion continue their journey northward Feeding habits also change depending on the supply of natural food available It might seem that hummers rely heavily on our feeders but the food we give them represents only a small portion of their daily intake during the spring and summer Neighborhood conditions also can change The appearance of wandering cats and birds of prey can deter hummers from visiting feeders The pendulum will eventually swing back and you ll again enjoy being eaten out of house and home by those beautiful little birds In the meantime keep those feeders sparkling clean and the nectar fresh DEAR JOAN If I have a -gallon aquarium how several fish can I have James J Los Gatos DEAR JAMES The general rule of thumb is inch of fish for every gallon If all your fish are that small you can have Elbow-less fish still need elbow room The Animal Life column runs on Mondays Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris gmail com