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Since You Asked: Dryer lint bad choice for bird nests Friday Mar 24, 2017 at 12:01 AM I recently talked to a woman who said she puts lint from her clothes dryer out in the yard for wild birds to use as nest material. I read somewhere that it wasn't a good idea because birds can inhale the lint particles. The lint can also contain strings that might wrap around a baby bird's legs, wings or neck. And, in fact, I've seen birds with string around their legs. I know we can't control what birds find on their own to put into their nests, but what can I or other people do or refrain from doing to best help birds survive in the wild? — Maureen, Medford   As much as we would love to promote a useful purpose for dryer lint, bird experts say it's a bad idea to put the fluffy stuff out for our feathered friends. Biologist Laura Fleming, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Medford, said dryer lint can be contaminated with chemicals, especially if people use fabric softener or dryer sheets for their laundry. In addition, dryer lint holds water. Nests made with lint could get wet and soggy and wouldn't insulate the eggs or baby birds inside, she said. "A material I would recommend would be alpaca wool," she said. "It sheds water very nicely and is good insulation." Other good nesting materials include feathers and short pieces of string, yarn or horse hair. Birds also like dog hair, Fleming said. So while we'll keep looking for uses for dryer lint, at least the dog hair we brush off our pets can help birds. The National Wildlife Federation recommends those materials, as well as short twigs, soft plant material like cottonwood fluff or pussy willows, mud, dry grass and moss. It also calls dryer lint a no-no, citing chemical residue from detergents and softeners and lint's propensity to soak up water. If you want to learn more about attracting birds to your backyard with nesting boxes, Fleming is giving a presentation on the subject at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Rogue River library, 412 E Main St. and at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, at the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd. The talks include information about what makes a good nest box, what kinds of birds will use a nest box in the local area, and where to put the boxes. The National Wildlife Federation says even birds that use birdhouses will use material to build nests inside. — Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. We're sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.