Do you want to build a nest ball?
Spring is around the corner and late winter to early summer is nesting season for migratory and residential birds. This time of the year is when many birds are foraging for the perfect materials to create warm, safe nests that will support the development of their babies.
Birds living on the tundra, and around Archie Rd. for that matter, take advantage of qiviut shedding season for the softest and warmest nesting material around. While some birds are bold in their endeavor and pluck loose tufts from a lounging musk ox, most are patient and choose to collect their material from the brush, grass, and fence line. These birds then carefully weave the fibers into their nests before laying their clutch of eggs.
If you’d like to spoil the wild birds in your backyard but do not have musk oxen in your neighborhood, you can snag a qiviut nesting ball kit from us and set it up in a tree in your yard.
Once all of the qiviut in your nesting ball has been reallocated as nest insulation, you can contact us for more raw field qiviut fiber to refill it or simply use what you have on hand. Some suitable alternatives include fluffy dog and cat hair, wood wool, short scraps of natural yarn or hemp, and dried grass and flowers.
The birds that live around musk ox are vital to their success living in the harsh arctic climate. Songbirds eat and spread the seeds from the wild grasses growing and supporting musk oxen and other arctic herbivores (and omnivores). So to us musk ox enthusiasts, supporting local birds supports musk oxen.
