^^Can you spot the osprey and its nest?!^^
This morning, as we walked along the river, Elise and I had the good fortune of watching an osprey work on its nest. Elise has been really interested in nests lately, and here was a GIANT nest being built right before our very eyes! How exciting!
Pulling branches off trees, swooping down to pick sticks up off the ground, and occasionally calling out - Elise and I had a front row view of the busy osprey! Usually, when we watch birds or other wildlife, it's from a distance, so I'm not sure how much Elise is actually able to see. This time, I knew Elise was catching all the action because SHE was the one pointing out everything to ME!
A few interesting facts about osprey and their nests:
- Although osprey mate for life (20-25 years), they do not migrate together or spend the winters together. Our osprey just got back last weekend, and is waiting for its mate to arrive. Kind of romantic, right?
- Osprey nest on platforms near water- tall trees, man-made structures, light posts, etc. Our osprey pair nests on a man-made platform between the river and a baseball field - before the platform was built, they nested right on a baseball light pole!
- Osprey add new material to their nests each season.
- After osprey young have fledged, unlike other raptors, they return to their nest each night.
(Birds of Prey of the West Field Guide by Stan Tekiela)
When Elise wasn't totally mesmerized by the action, she was busy making her own nests. Of course, she offered all the best sticks to the osprey! ;)
Back at home, Elise and I filled an empty suet container with scraps of yarn I had been saving from my knitting projects...
We hung it outside in our apple tree - hopefully, a bird or two will use some of the yarn for nesting material. (Inspired by The Magic Onions post, Helping the Birds Make Beautiful Nests)
OK, now for the giveaway! Last spring, I made this felted wool nest for Elise. It has been inspiring so much play around here lately, I'd like to make another nest for one of YOU to enjoy with your little one/ones!
So, in honor of my 300th post - is that even possible?! - I am giving a felted wool nest and two wooden eggs to one lucky itty bitty love reader!
How to enter:
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me about a bird you enjoy watching and what color nest you would like (natural brown or a whimsical color - rainbow, purple, green, etc).
Additional entries:
- "Like" itty bitty love on Facebook and tell me in the comments. If you've already "liked" itty bitty love on FB before this giveaway, tell me in the comments for two extra entries!
I'll choose the winner at random on Friday at 6 pm (MST)! Good luck!!!
Drum roll, please...
Drum roll, please...
The winner of the felted bird nest is Alexis!
Congratulations!
Thank you to everyone who entered - I had so much fun reading about all your bird watching adventures! :)
Oh that is so exciting! Sixtine would LOVE a set! She loves "ird"s and we enjoy watching crows *haha*. We have tons in our area and she stops during our walks to point to them.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the weather is getting much better in your part of the world...it is still snowy here but it is starting to melt and it is definitely warmer. We would love a natural brown set. Fingers crossed!
I am already a follower on FB! Thank you for the opportunity Anne!
Hi Deb! Aren't crows interesting to watch? We have lots in our neighborhood, too. Hope the nice weather comes your way - it sure feels good!
DeleteI love watching the whooping cranes in my home state of Florida. They are interesting creatures as the tip toe through the reeds and make a whooping sound. A natural brown color would be lovely. Congrats on your 300th post. I've been an avid reader since I was pregnant with my 1st.
ReplyDeleteHi Carey! Oh my, I would love to see a whooping crane one of these days - you're lucky!
DeleteI love looking for the whooping crane in my home state of Florida. They are interesting creatures as they tip toe through the coastal marsh and make their "whooping" sounds. Congrats on your 300th post. Our family appreciates all the Montessori ideas you share.
ReplyDeleteLove your nest. I could have used that picture of Rosie!!xx
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a flattering profile shot of Rosie! ;) I can't wait to see her in felt-form!
DeleteWe love watching birds. Our favorites currently are robins.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a great giveaway. We'd like the natural brown nest.
Hi Tanya! Robins give me spring fever! My dad is a biologist, and he was just telling me that robins can live for over 10 years - the robins in our yards this year may be the same robins we were seeing last year! Amazing!
DeleteI "Like" itty bitty love on Facebook as Tanya Rubezhov.
ReplyDeleteThat's an appealing giveaway! I am not sure if you accept entries from the UK, but I'll enter just in case. We like to watch all birds, but we see mostly red kites, pigeons, blackbirds, swans and ducks around here. Finn is also fascinated by the peacocks at the arboretum! We would go for the natural looking nest. Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteOf course, Elsa - I'm so glad you entered! I just looked up a red kite - how cool!
DeleteOh, and I already liked Itty Bitty Love on Facebook before today.
ReplyDeleteWe have a couple of ravens around the house and I think they're are very beautiful! They make those very sweet musical sounds sometimes The first time I heard it, I thought it was a video game somebody had left on!
ReplyDeleteThis is so exciting. One of my favs is the Bald Eagle (a classic, I know..). There are usually a pair up at my family cabin in northern MN, so I've always enjoyed watching them as they stalk the loons, gather food, and even see if they survive the summer. I am excited to bring my little one up (almost 8 months) to the cabin soon... I would go for a natural colored nest. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's calendar has a robin on it for April, and she was beside herself when we saw a real one at grandma's earlier in the week. Then yesterday we saw one looking for worms. She was so excited to know what it is called and what it was doing. I've liked you on facebook, and we'd LOVE a natural brown nest.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Alexis! Please email or pm me on FB so I can get your info and send your little one her new nest! :)
DeleteMy daughter's calendar has a robin on it for April. She was beside herself when we saw one at grandma's earlier in the week. Then we saw one hunting for worms yesterday. She was so excited to know what it's called and what it was doing! I've liked you on facebook, and we'd love a natural brown nest!
ReplyDeleteAnne-
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely amazing in all your projects and posts! Elise is a lucky girl to have such a talented and inspiring mama! I'm not entering the giveaway because I am lucky enough to have lots of your home made specialties but wanted you to know how awesome I think you are!!
Awww!!! Thanks, Christy! Elise and I are so lucky to have you and Lucy as friends! Hope to see you sometime soon!
DeleteCongratulations on your 300th post! I love reading your blog. It and some other montessori blogs have been very inspiring to me and have even inspired me to start my own blog called "Lotus Joy In the Garden": http://lotusjoyinthegarden.wordpress.com/ I choose a garden theme as my daughter Lotus loves being outside so much and we spend lots of time doing gardening together!
ReplyDeleteLotus also loves birds. She calls them 'bur' and we are fortunate that their are many birds to see in our garden. A pair of magpies are usually wandering through the grass looking for worms. A Kookaburra or two are usually perched on the garden fence or in nearby Eucalypts. One or two bright blue Kingfishers often like to do the same. A flock of red browed finches often flits through the grass and visits our bath tub pond. Very occasionally we get King Parrots come to eat our pigeon pea. Thats a special treat as they are so big with bright red and green! If we are lucky enough to win one of your beautiful nests then we would be happy with what ever colour you feel inspired by.
We enjoy watching chikadees, titmice, and cardinals at our bird feeder. We also have spotted a hawk on the property... a BIG bird for our little one to see!
ReplyDeletewhimsical would be so sweet! (a link to a pattern would be lovely too)