Here’s a map of the Englewood neighborhood, which might be helpful for those of you who are reading this from afar. Clicking on the map will take you to the GOOGLE maps website where you can zoom further, or look at satellite photos.
Most of my explorations here at the beginning will be on Rural and Oxford streets, between Washington and New York. Here is a satellite view of that area from Google maps (maybe I soon will make a copy of this and annotate it, which will further help the readers to navigate this place in their minds.
Urban Naturalism 
January 15, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Hi: Great blog! Thanks for joining Green Hour — we’re really happy to have you. Looks like you guys are having a blast in Indy!
Cheers- Bethe
January 15, 2009 at 4:59 pm
The last nest reminds me of a scene from the book Sarah, Plain and Tall. She cuts the Papa’s hair and leaves the clippings out for the birds. Later in spring, she takes the kids out looking for nests that might have their dad’s distinctive curly locks.
January 16, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I think those strings in that nest look familiar. They look like bits of a tattered roof tarp that was on a house in our neighborhood for a long, long time. We had them everywhere in our yard, and I would never have thought they would be anything other than a nuisance. Also, when Ella got her hair cut, she put her hair in a string bag and hung it in Aaron’s cherry tree. Maybe it’s there still, but we have never seen any birds taking hairs from it.
January 16, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Mary,
Those very well could be strands of a roof tarp, certainly it is the right color. It would be quite a haul but not impossible to carry them from your house (1st North Block of Dearborn) to Sluss’s front yard (Rural St.) — non-Englewooders, see map.
I’ll have to climb up and get a closer look at those fibers. You’ve got me curious!
We’ll also have to keep an eye out for birds taking Ella’s hair!
Chris
January 17, 2009 at 5:01 am
[…] bird’s nest Posted by urbannaturalism under Uncategorized Well, after reading Mary’s comment this afternoon, I had to go out and see what exactly what the strands of material were in the bird’s nest […]