For many in Illinois, this is not a mystery, but it has become a topic again. When you see a big ball of leaves in your tree this time of year, it’s not birds making nests. It’s another critter entirely.
I need to add there is one very important exception to what I’ll share with you, but generally speaking if you see this big ball of leaves in your Illinois yard, it’s not for a bird. This is the sight in my front yard where there are two huge collections of leaves.
What creature creates these nests in Illinois?
These are the homes built by squirrels. We have a huge community of these nut-gatherers in our neighborhood and Spring is the time when the little ones are normally spotted.
There is a very important exception to this squirrel nest rule though
If you see a big collection of leaves and sticks, it might look similar to a squirrel’s nest, but it could be an eagle family. You’ll see these the closer you get to a river or deeper in the woods away from traffic…