As i sit outside this week I'm looking around and my eyes were drawn upward towards the beautiful sky(plus i was dozing off). as i looked up at the newly budded trees i saw a bunch of these:



I know they are squirrel nests but after hearing about how some birds build their nests with their own saliva i was interested in finding out how squirrels build theirs.

thanks to West Virginia Wildlife magazine i now know.

I was informed that most tree squirrels build leaf nests. The more fortunate ones find a hollow in a tree someplace high up to call home. i was surprised to find out that most leaf nests will be found at least 20 feet off the ground. they do this mostly for protection.

The squirrels will loosely weave sticks in a round formation and pack the outer part of it with wet leaves and moss. they will allow that to harden, then they pack the inside with dry leaves and grass. the need the inside to be soft and supple so when they give birth the babies are comfortable. one would think that the nests would be flimsy but they are not. people who have evicted squirls have noted the sturdiness of there nests.