Millie and Mike

Hello friends! How have you been doing? What do you think about all of the storms? There have been so many storms blowing through Alabama that my house (tree) fell over. Now I have to find a new tree and build a new nest. This is going to be a busy Spring. Usually my husband, Mike Mockingbird, and I just fix up the old nest. But now we have to start all over again.

First Mike found a great Sweetgum tree for us, and it is located just on the opposite side our neighbor’s house. Ok, our neighbors are people. They built a house next to us. Now we are building a house next to them! Hee hee hee.

First, we have to find the right spot on the tree. We like to build our nest no closer than 3 feet from the ground and no higher than 10 feet. After a thorough inspection, we found a sturdy branch 8 feet above ground that is hanging over the roof of the people’s house. Mike and I started gathering sticks. Well, actually, Mike built most of the nest. I hung out on a branch guarding the area to make sure nothing was going to sneak up on us. Mike worked hard to build the outer part of the cup shaped nest. Now we needed something softer in the center of the sticks. I gathered some cut grass and Mike gathered some moss. Then he flew off and returned with some dryer lint. My neighbor people set it out for me and my friends to use. Mike and I put the grass and moss in the center of the nest and then lined it with the lint.  It made a soft, warm, cozy area to lay my eggs. It won’t be long and Mike and I will try to have a family! The next time you hear from me, I will be a Momma Mockingbird! 

A few great trees to plant for birds:

Tulip Popular, Liriodendron tulipifera

Dogwood, Cornus florida

Different types of Oaks, Quercus sp.

Eastern red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana

Red Mulberry, Morus rubra

Different types of Maples, Acer sp.

Sweetgum, Liquidamber styraciflua

Be careful with Sweetgum and Red Mulberry. People do not like the sweetgum balls and the red fruit from the mulberry make a big mess.