Even bengal cats like the nest! (Animals have been requesting these nests from me ever since I began making them...Horses, squirrels, owls, eagles, dogs, cats, this is an all purpose kind of nest-just change the rope material to suit your purposes...Poly rope floats as a by the way, Sisal is biodegradable, twisted nylon is so gorgeous at 3/8 inch you can make a nest for your wife!) Tie strings can be left long at edges to tie down nests if necessary...
here is Trumpeter nest number 8 design prototype after a little bit of work...Notice I changed the rope to twisted nylon, & I changed the diameter of the rope to 3/8 of an inch...
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-Trumpeter-Swan-Nest/ I made an Instructable of this post, for clarity & so other people could make these too...
How to make the Trumpeter swan nest:
I used 3/8" twisted Nylon Rope(for the outside ring), which comes in 50 foot bags at Canadian Tire...It is fabulous rope, & you don't need gloves to protect your hands while weaving- no mess either...(um, oh, since you were wondering, I am actually going to finish the Trumpeter Swan Nest with the red & white diamond braid poly rope seen on the spool below the video box...)
(Big Important Link: (update: ooh, I downloaded "Real Player" & figured out how to get that movie here...It happens you need to download your own movies sometime cause you lost them...sigh...anyways- if you try Real Player, remember sometimes you have to PLAY the movie before it shows up to be downloaded...Just a heads up cause I didn't know...see it below...)
http://groveontario.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/13161165-how-to-weave-the-monkey-chain-knot-to-make-the-trumpet-swan-nest-or-any-other-bird-nest- Ok, this big important link takes you to our other website which has the video on How to Connect the Monkey Chain Knot as you go along weaving...(the video shows Sisal rope 1/4 inch being used, but it is the same technique for any rope)...Basically you are just looping into loops you have already made...(it is EASY)...)
About the red & white rope I used in the middle of the nest: http://www.contractorsrope.com/braided-polypropylene-rope.html (Note: it says not good outside, but that refers to places that get lots of sun & heat...It is fine for wet, dark, cold Toronto outdoors, near to a pond...)
http://www.onlineropestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=48&products_id=706 Ok, here is the ONLINE ROPE STORE in Trenton, Ontario, who has the most pretty twisted nylon rope in a nice 600 foot spool at a very reasonable price...
http://www.uline.ca/BL_3913/Nylon-Rope Uline is located in Brampton, Ontario, & has nice rope at great prices & will deliver...The prices are low enough to mitigate the delivery charge...I like their Nylon braided rope...Note: When I upgraded from 1/4 inch Sisal rope to 3/8 inch Poly rope, I cut 150 feet from the length I needed to make a nest...(750 ft became 600 ft. total for a 43 inch diameter nest)...So, logically, if one upgraded again to the 1/2 inch braided nylon rope Uline has, then you could again drop your length to 450 feet total rope needed...(from the 600 feet for the 3/8" rope)...So thicker rope may cost more but you use less, it is faster to weave, & it is easier on your hands...(less friction)...
How to make the Trumpeter swan nest:
I used 3/8" twisted Nylon Rope(for the outside ring), which comes in 50 foot bags at Canadian Tire...It is fabulous rope, & you don't need gloves to protect your hands while weaving- no mess either...(um, oh, since you were wondering, I am actually going to finish the Trumpeter Swan Nest with the red & white diamond braid poly rope seen on the spool below the video box...)
(Big Important Link: (update: ooh, I downloaded "Real Player" & figured out how to get that movie here...It happens you need to download your own movies sometime cause you lost them...sigh...anyways- if you try Real Player, remember sometimes you have to PLAY the movie before it shows up to be downloaded...Just a heads up cause I didn't know...see it below...)
http://groveontario.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/13161165-how-to-weave-the-monkey-chain-knot-to-make-the-trumpet-swan-nest-or-any-other-bird-nest- Ok, this big important link takes you to our other website which has the video on How to Connect the Monkey Chain Knot as you go along weaving...(the video shows Sisal rope 1/4 inch being used, but it is the same technique for any rope)...Basically you are just looping into loops you have already made...(it is EASY)...)
About the red & white rope I used in the middle of the nest: http://www.contractorsrope.com/braided-polypropylene-rope.html (Note: it says not good outside, but that refers to places that get lots of sun & heat...It is fine for wet, dark, cold Toronto outdoors, near to a pond...)
http://www.onlineropestore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=48&products_id=706 Ok, here is the ONLINE ROPE STORE in Trenton, Ontario, who has the most pretty twisted nylon rope in a nice 600 foot spool at a very reasonable price...
http://www.uline.ca/BL_3913/Nylon-Rope Uline is located in Brampton, Ontario, & has nice rope at great prices & will deliver...The prices are low enough to mitigate the delivery charge...I like their Nylon braided rope...Note: When I upgraded from 1/4 inch Sisal rope to 3/8 inch Poly rope, I cut 150 feet from the length I needed to make a nest...(750 ft became 600 ft. total for a 43 inch diameter nest)...So, logically, if one upgraded again to the 1/2 inch braided nylon rope Uline has, then you could again drop your length to 450 feet total rope needed...(from the 600 feet for the 3/8" rope)...So thicker rope may cost more but you use less, it is faster to weave, & it is easier on your hands...(less friction)...
materials if you want to make on yourself...(Different sizes will appeal to different waterbirds or earth birds...) 4 feet to 43 inches is a Trumpeter size, a little less gets you a Mute Swan, then a Canadian goose, then a duck & so on...You can put a nest in the crotch of a tree- strap it in with some extra rope, & it makes a nest tree nest...Put a nest in an imaginative place, send us a picture, we will post it...Put some wild bird seed in the nest to make it a sure seller...
3/8 inch red braided rope, this is a 500 foot spool from Canadian Tire, & I got 20 feet free just for asking! ("Jerry" at the Yonge Davenport store is very helpful)... Reasons I am using this rope: Well, one of the most important reasons is the red and white: Red is a colour that Trumpeter swans can see & are attracted to...In fact, the reason our wild bird seed is called "Red Ribbon" is because if you tie a red ribbon to where you are putting out your wild bird seed, the wild birds will be attracted to it...Same with using the red in the nest rope...They will be attracted to the nest...Also- (manufacturer specs on the rope follow)...* Easier to handle than twisted poly or natural fibers Great for water use: floats, resists rot and mildew Low stretch and ideal for a variety of uses Excellent knot retention Safe working load: 220 lbs.Polypropylene is the lightest all-purpose rope material and, as such, floats. In addition, it is very resistant to rot, mildew, and corrosion from chemicals. For these reasons, you'll be well served using it in the pool as a marker, for boating or other water sports, or for camping, both applications which will benefit from its excellent knot retention.
This is a nest made of 1/4 inch Sisal rope...(43 inch diameter)...Sisal is cheaper, biodegradable & requires jersey gloves to protect your hands while weaving, plus the straw makes a mess of your home a little...(harder to weave than a smoother rope too-needs more muscles)...
Red Ribbon wild bird seed is the best we have found on the market- tastes really really good! (yes, Sari has eaten it herself- Dad was a doctor & taught his family that you should eat a little of whatever your animals are eating first- if not, how will you know what it tastes like, or if it is safe?(tastes really good boiled with sweetener & milk! high protein)...The seeds are bigger for a swan...It is very fresh because it sells fast...Price right now is $11.99 cad for 15 kilograms- a bargain...We have gone through over $2,500.00 of this stuff at least...Trumpeter swans like it! (& two of them had four cygnets this year after a winter of being fed Red Ribbon, so it worked!)...The higher nutritional content of this food means you can feed them well one day then it keeps them going much longer than cheaper foods...Which helps them better since they often move around alot & you can't get to them so often...)
Finished maybe? So with the easier to knot rope & the larger 3/8 inch diameter of the rope, I used only 600 feet of rope (instead of 750 feet with the 1/4 inch Sisal rope)...I may still fill in some gaps tomorrow...We'll see...
What you are looking at is a USB rechargeable hand warmer pocket size in pink, which comes with a plug, a USB cord, & a lanyard for your neck...You charge it either in an electrical socket or at your computer, then you can hang it around your neck & it keeps you warm on a cold day...
But here's my thought: Insert it into your Trumpeter swan nest to make it a heated Trumpeter Swan nest...Just stick it into one of the gaps in the rope...
If you really want to get fancy, throw a stretchy conductive fabric over the nest, over the hand warmer...Now the whole nest will get warm...(or if you don't want to buy conductive fabric, get some thin copper wire & attach it to fabric that you have...Put the copper side face down on top of the hand warmer on your nest, with the soft fabric side on top...This is probably too complicated & possibly not safe, but the germ of an idea is there for me or others to work with...The idea being, heated Trumpeter Swan nests for the winter months...)
http://www.lessemf.com/fabric_guide.html This site has a whole bunch of conductive fabrics available if you want to try the heated nest idea... Say you were running a swan rescue, or any other waterbird or earthbird rescue, you could have a heated nest set-up in your enclosed space...This would speed up healing times...(Remove the conductive fabric when not heating the nest, since metals get cold alone...)
http://www.ehow.com/how_4557579_make-rice-bag-hand-warmer.html Thinking deeply about making little rice bags (uncooked rice) that fit into gaps in the rope of the Trumpeter swan nest...Then, microwaving those bags, & inserting into the nest when needed...(this is more for a rescue type nest in winter, where the swan is very cold & needs warmth...) or like round flat bags of rice, just small enough to fit in a microwave, but as big as one can...Only stay warm for half an hour though...But rescues could keep bags of rice on hand as preparation...
But here's my thought: Insert it into your Trumpeter swan nest to make it a heated Trumpeter Swan nest...Just stick it into one of the gaps in the rope...
If you really want to get fancy, throw a stretchy conductive fabric over the nest, over the hand warmer...Now the whole nest will get warm...(or if you don't want to buy conductive fabric, get some thin copper wire & attach it to fabric that you have...Put the copper side face down on top of the hand warmer on your nest, with the soft fabric side on top...This is probably too complicated & possibly not safe, but the germ of an idea is there for me or others to work with...The idea being, heated Trumpeter Swan nests for the winter months...)
http://www.lessemf.com/fabric_guide.html This site has a whole bunch of conductive fabrics available if you want to try the heated nest idea... Say you were running a swan rescue, or any other waterbird or earthbird rescue, you could have a heated nest set-up in your enclosed space...This would speed up healing times...(Remove the conductive fabric when not heating the nest, since metals get cold alone...)
http://www.ehow.com/how_4557579_make-rice-bag-hand-warmer.html Thinking deeply about making little rice bags (uncooked rice) that fit into gaps in the rope of the Trumpeter swan nest...Then, microwaving those bags, & inserting into the nest when needed...(this is more for a rescue type nest in winter, where the swan is very cold & needs warmth...) or like round flat bags of rice, just small enough to fit in a microwave, but as big as one can...Only stay warm for half an hour though...But rescues could keep bags of rice on hand as preparation...
Click the picture to see an excellent selection of Conductive Fabrics...prices shown on the site are normal for the market...So my thought is to put a layer of this conductive fabric over your nest, with the hand warmer underneath...This will make the whole nest warm...Hopefully...What do you think? Any better ideas?
added a food tray & water cup...will fill in those gaps this week- they really are obvious now as I look...more rope to buy as I am out!
I liked the wild bird seed tray idea, but didn't like my earlier try, aesthetically...So I used a metal frozen dinner tray in a circle shape, put holes in either side of it, & ran some of my long piece of cord through it, attaching it on the other side...This makes a nicer looking wild bird seed tray that won't move around...
So I decided that the metal tray look wasn't pretty enough...So I had a piece of Belgian linen lying about, which I loosely tied to the top of the nest...This makes the nest a better Trumpeter swan feeder...The wild bird seed will sit on top better, & I can wash the linen if I need to...(just unattach it)...Just a thought...Also, I could put my rechargeable pocket handwarmer under the linen & it will warm up the nest better...(If I turned the linen into a giant round bag, I could fill that with uncooked rice & microwave that before attaching it, then going to feed the Trumpeter family in winter...
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