As we head into autumn and winter, we are more than likely to spot used birds’ nests. You might come across them while walking in the countryside, or perhaps while doing a little tidying in the garden, trimming hedges or trees, although hopefully not too much!

Once the leaves have fallen from the trees and hedges, nests that were well hidden during the spring and summer can suddenly become much easier to spot. This makes autumn and winter a great time to have a closer look and see if we can work out which bird made the nest.

When you find a nest, there are a few basic things to look at that can help with identification.

Where was the nest?

The first thing to consider is where you found it. Keep in mind that a nest may have fallen or been blown away from its original position, so its location isn’t always a perfect clue.

Many birds choose trees, but others prefer hedges. And even then, it can be useful to ask whether the hedge is in a garden, a field or somewhere more natural.

Was the nest high up in a tree, tucked into a hedge, close to the ground, or actually sitting on the ground?

What is it made from?

Next, have a look at the materials used to build the nest.

Twigs, grass, moss, mud, feathers and even spider webs can all be used. Different birds have different building techniques, and the materials they choose can give us some useful clues.

How big is it?

Finally, look at the size and shape.

Is it a very small, neat cup? Is it a large platform of sticks? Or perhaps a substantial ball of moss with a small entrance?

There are several basic types of bird nest you might come across:

• Cup nests – These are made by many of our familiar garden birds. They are usually constructed from materials such as twigs, grass and moss, and may be tucked into a hedge or wedged into the fork of a tree.
• Platform nests – Larger birds, particularly birds of prey, need much bigger nests. These can become substantial platforms made from sticks.
• Cavity nests – Some birds choose holes in trees or other cavities to nest in. They may also use nest boxes, such as those provided for Blue Tits and other small garden birds.
• Scrape or ground nests – Some birds nest directly on the ground, including species found on farmland. These nests can be extremely well camouflaged, so watch where you step!

Let’s have a look at a few nests you might come across.

Robin

Robins like to nest amongst shrubbery and vegetation rather than inside a traditional nest box or tree hole. Their nests are made from materials such as grass, leaves and moss.

A Robin’s nest is normally found fairly low to the ground, often somewhere that is reasonably open but still provides plenty of cover.

Blackbird

The Blackbird makes a classic cup-shaped nest. It is usually constructed from twigs and other vegetation, with a grass lining.

The finished nest can look quite large, sturdy and heavy compared with some of the smaller garden birds’ nests.

Song Thrush

The Song Thrush makes a nest that can look quite similar to a Blackbird’s, but there is one particularly distinctive feature to look for: mud.

The inside of a Song Thrush nest is lined with mud, creating a remarkably smooth, almost plastered-looking interior.

Goldfinch

Goldfinches normally nest quite high up, often in the fork of a branch on a slender outer branch. Their nests can therefore appear surprisingly exposed.

They are delicate, soft-looking nests. A mossy base is bound together with grasses and spider silk, while the cup is often packed with soft materials such as wool and feathers. You may even find thistle or other fluffy plant material incorporated into the nest.

Wren

Wrens are particularly interesting nest builders.

A male Wren will build several nests, and the female then chooses which one she prefers. These nests can be tucked into cavities and are often made almost entirely from moss.

They are quite substantial for such a tiny bird, with a small entrance leading into the enclosed nest.

Blue Tit and Great Tit

Blue Tits and Great Tits make the same type and style of nest.

Both make a small cup, usually constructed mainly from moss and then lined with soft materials. Depending on what is available, this can include anything they can forage in the area, such as deer or badger hair, and feathers.

If you find one in a nest box, the materials used can sometimes make it particularly interesting to examine.

Nuthatch

The Nuthatch also makes a cup-shaped nest, but the materials can help distinguish it from some of our other garden birds.

Nuthatch nests are made largely from dry leaves, sometimes with a little dried grass included. They can look quite different from the soft, mossy nests made by species such as Wrens and Tits.

There’s one other giveaway to look for, too: Nuthatches will often plaster mud around the entrance hole of their nest site, whether that’s a natural tree cavity or a nest box, to make the opening smaller. It’s thought to help keep out predators and competing birds too large to fit through the narrowed gap. So if you spot a tree hole or nest box with a rim of dried mud built up around the entrance or around the top of the box, a Nuthatch is very likely responsible.

Can you tell if a nest has been used?

Sometimes you can.

This can be particularly noticeable with nests inside nest boxes. Once the chicks have hatched and eventually fledged, all that activity can flatten the nest. As the young birds move around, the neat cup shape can become much less defined.

So if you find a nest that looks rather flattened and well-used, it may be a sign that it has already done its job for the season.

Of course, identifying nests isn’t always straightforward. Birds don’t always follow the rules, and they will use whatever materials and locations suit them. But by looking at where the nest was, what it is made from, its shape and its size, you can often start to narrow down which bird built it.

Don’t forget

Although autumn and winter are generally a good time to look for old nests, it’s important to remember that birds can nest outside the period we might normally expect.

It is an offence to disturb nesting birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The breeding season is generally considered to run from March to August, although some species can begin nesting as early as February and continue through to Autumn.

So take care when investigating nests and make sure they are not in use. It’s also important to avoid disturbing active nests and to take particular care with hedge cutting during the breeding season.

The best approach is simple: look, observe and leave the nest where you found it. That way, we can enjoy discovering these little pieces of bird architecture without disturbing the birds that made them.

Frequently Asked Questions