admin – Young Naturalists Club

Have you ever thought about the clothes you buy and wear? Do you ever wonder where they are made or what materials were used to make them? It turns out that what we wear impacts the planet.

A very common material that is used to make most of our clothing comes from something called microfibers. You have probably heard of, seen, or used microfiber products. These days they are everywhere!

And believe it or not, microfiber clothes are plastic.

“The Story of Stuff” explains what microfibers are and where they end up.

Fleece is probably the most popular example of microfiber. You might have a fleece jacket

Buy Nolvadex UK

, pants, or blanket. Microfibers are also used in cleaning products, like as towels and mop pads.

When admiring a freshly made bird nest, my grandfather would whistle and say, “they put us to shame.” He was impressed with the nests’ efficiency, beauty, and that they make them without hands. Another amazing thing about bird nests? Almost every species makes a unique type of nest.

Today, we challenge you to find at least one bird nest and try to identify the bird species who made it. Key clues to solve this mystery are:

material the nest is made out of (leaves, moss, sticks, spit, dirt?)
habitat type in which you found it (the woods? Near water? A field?)
its size
height off the ground (on the ground? In bushes? High in a tree?)

Compare your clues to the descriptions of nests at allaboutbirds.org (which has lots of other great bird information too!).

If you are quiet and patient, you might also see:

What the eggs or chicks look like
Parent birds coming and going

That will definitely help you figure out what kind of birds made the nest!

Some of the easiest nests to identify in Southeast Ohio are made by Baltimore orioles. They weave bag-like nests out of milkweed and other plant fibers. See the nest below on the left, and the male oriole on the right: