+BarbVA Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I found this on a different site: Incredibly real bird's nest cache! It's easy to pass by this one as it looks like a real bird's nest! Even the birds will be fooled! Our bird's nest comes with heavy duty wire to help lash the nest to the crook of a tree. Bird's nest approximately 4 1/2 inches across and 2 inches depth. Plenty of room to place all your goodies! This bird's nest is handcrafted, and built to last! These are sturdy nests, with plenty of room! I'm just imagining all of the poor little bird nests that are going to be destroyed by people in search of the next cache because "yep, it could be the nest". Kind of like we hear about sprinklers being pulled loose all the time. Or what if a real bird actually moved into the nest? Would cachers destroy it for the smiley? Quote Link to comment
+deeperrin Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 This might be the inner genius fighting with old man common since. It sounds like a great item, but if you think about it and what harm it might have it is a better choice to not use this type of cache. I think that cachers need to be responsible for their caches. They also need to use common since when it comes to what and where they are placing. I think it is a bad idea to use something that looks like a birds nest as a cache. This goes against caching lightly. It is very easy to believe that someone would start looking in all the nest if they found one cache there. So as a responsible cacher I would not use something like a birds nest as a place to hide a cache. Good Try Derrick Perrin Lets Go Caching - A Video Podcast About Geocaching Quote Link to comment
+Arndtwe Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Well you could always get a container that fits snugly inside so that way no birds will be able to nest in it. I would also label the top of the container and place it low in the tree, that way the hunters could easily look down on it and know that it was the cache. I don't think that people will go around destroying bird's nests while looking for a cache. Personally I think that this is a great cache idea if it is done right.... Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 (edited) Well you could always get a container that fits snugly inside so that way no birds will be able to nest in it. I would also label the top of the container and place it low in the tree, that way the hunters could easily look down on it and know that it was the cache. I don't think that people will go around destroying bird's nests while looking for a cache. Personally I think that this is a great cache idea if it is done right.... I've seen it done right and it can be cool. One person even put a little fake bird in one. Edited April 9, 2008 by TrailGators Quote Link to comment
+qlenfg Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I think the problem is once someone finds a cache in a bird nest they will disturb every bird nest they run across from then on. I've ran across a few tree caches that had active nests in them, very near the cache. Even posting a mention in my log of waiting until the nesting season is over before visiting the cache fell on deaf ears. Quote Link to comment
+ReadyOrNot Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I've found several similar caches. I don't have a problem with them. I've been to many caches where birds nests were nearby and somehow noone tore them apart. I love well camo'd caches! Quote Link to comment
+BarbVA Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 I think the problem is once someone finds a cache in a bird nest they will disturb every bird nest they run across from then on. That was precisely my thought, I've seen it with fence post caps, lawn sprinklers and light post covers. Quote Link to comment
+BarbVA Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 I've been to many caches where birds nests were nearby and somehow noone tore them apart. The point with bird's nests though is they don't have to be torn apart to potentially scare a momma bird away from her eggs or young ones. Even just feeling around and leaving your scent is all it could take. But I do appreciate all opinions, I just hope the bird nest cache doesn't catch on too much. Quote Link to comment
+PrincessBTigress Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 The point with bird's nests though is they don't have to be torn apart to potentially scare a momma bird away from her eggs or young ones. Even just feeling around and leaving your scent is all it could take. But I do appreciate all opinions, I just hope the bird nest cache doesn't catch on too much. Actually thats an old wives tale that was proved false long ago. In fact wild life experts say that wives tale actually very much harms birds because someone will see a baby bird on the ground and refuse to touch it for fear of the mother abandoning it because of the human sent, in reality you HAVE to pick up that bird and return it or the mother has no real way of helping it. Birds are not cats, they can't just pick up their baby and fly it back up to the nest. http://snopes.com/critters/wild/babybird.asp I like the nest that someone added a fake bird to, the fake bird will make it less likely for the nest to be "adopted" by a real bird and makes it so you can tell the cache from a regular nest. Quote Link to comment
+BarbVA Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Well thanks Princess for that bit of information, that actually makes me feel better, I was still making assumptions based on the old wives tale. Quote Link to comment
+bflentje Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I've used the bird nest idea in the past but planted it low enough where you could see the Easter Eggs inside the nest without touching or pulling on the nest. My cache is no longer active and I generally agree it might not be a good idea in practice. Quote Link to comment
+qlenfg Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I think the problem is once someone finds a cache in a bird nest they will disturb every bird nest they run across from then on. That was precisely my thought, I've seen it with fence post caps, lawn sprinklers and light post covers. Yup. There is a light pole cache near my house that plainly says don't lift the skirt. So instead of just reaching under the base, it appears everyone tries to move the cover for the wiring, assuming the cache is in the pole. In reality, its stuck to the edge of the base below the skirt. Quote Link to comment
philipgray Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Found an interesting one the other day: The cacher had made a fake hollow rock out of some sort of plaster and painted it quite well. Turned it over, found the container underneath suspended on elastic bands. Pretty intriguing, if not unusual... Quote Link to comment
+GnOArmyChicks Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 we have talked about this type of cache camo between the two of us before, and we both agree that, while on the outside it may seem like a neat idea, it just invites too much possiblilty for over zealous cachers to cause undue distruction. while most of the folks on this forum seem to have good heads on them, there will be those cachers that might get nutty about the "it might be the birds nest" idea, and go around disrupting real nests. the whole idea behind caching (at least from what we can tell) is to hunt caches, while being respectful of the environment they are hidden in. if we were to find one of our hides was a detriment to the surrrounding area, you'd better beleive it'd be taken down ASAP. better to err on the side of caution and leave the nests to the birds. Quote Link to comment
+TrailGators Posted May 5, 2008 Share Posted May 5, 2008 we have talked about this type of cache camo between the two of us before, and we both agree that, while on the outside it may seem like a neat idea, it just invites too much possiblilty for over zealous cachers to cause undue distruction. while most of the folks on this forum seem to have good heads on them, there will be those cachers that might get nutty about the "it might be the birds nest" idea, and go around disrupting real nests. the whole idea behind caching (at least from what we can tell) is to hunt caches, while being respectful of the environment they are hidden in. if we were to find one of our hides was a detriment to the surrrounding area, you'd better beleive it'd be taken down ASAP. better to err on the side of caution and leave the nests to the birds. This is a good point! Quote Link to comment
+joranda Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 That is why it is better to use your best judgement when looking for a cacher. We want to be cachers not trashers. Quote Link to comment
+critterator Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 (edited) The point with bird's nests though is they don't have to be torn apart to potentially scare a momma bird away from her eggs or young ones. Even just feeling around and leaving your scent is all it could take. But I do appreciate all opinions, I just hope the bird nest cache doesn't catch on too much. Actually thats an old wives tale that was proved false long ago. In fact wild life experts say that wives tale actually very much harms birds because someone will see a baby bird on the ground and refuse to touch it for fear of the mother abandoning it because of the human sent, in reality you HAVE to pick up that bird and return it or the mother has no real way of helping it. Birds are not cats, they can't just pick up their baby and fly it back up to the nest. While the whole scent thing has been prooven wrong, that doesn't mean that a cache near a birds nest won't cause a disruption, especially at a busy cache site. The sight and sound of a cacher rummaging around near their nest will cause stress to the babies and scare mom and disrupt her feeding and care of the young. Also the cacher could inavertantly bump the nest. It may not seem like a big deal, and maybe it isn't if the cache isn't visited very often. Researchers will poke around nests without any obvious ill effects on the birds, but in a busy place, the birds are going to start getting stressed. Edited May 6, 2008 by critterator Quote Link to comment
+Team GeoBlast Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 That is why it is better to use your best judgement when looking for a cacher. We want to be cachers not trashers. . I am always on the look out for cachers... and muggles for that matter. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I think the problem is once someone finds a cache in a bird nest they will disturb every bird nest they run across from then on. I've ran across a few tree caches that had active nests in them, very near the cache. Even posting a mention in my log of waiting until the nesting season is over before visiting the cache fell on deaf ears. I think when mom and dad birdie start dive bombing them, they'll get the picture. Quote Link to comment
+Slap Me Silly Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 Its an equal responsibilty to both hiders as well as hunters. I think it would be a good idea to maybe make it a learning opportunity, maybe an "earthday" cache? Depending on your area you could post some info about local birds/nesting. Make your birds nest something that doesn't fit w/ those real nests. You could also make it so the seekers have to look up info to learn in able to get the coordinates.... See where I'm coming from? I think the nest idea is great. Just give hunters the opportunity to be responsible and accountable. Quote Link to comment
+rhelt100 Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I found a cache in my area recently that was a fake mushroom. It was incredibly well done, it actually looked real. The funny thing is that I found the cache first and I actually removed leaves from around it without disturbing it because I was trying to "tread lightly". Another cacher with me made the find a few minutes later. I didn't think much of it at that moment. The next cache we did was about a mile away and it was plain to see that every fungus type growth within 30 feet of GZ was shredded. I made a comment in my log that it was great camo but it encouraged destruction and it was ignored. Oh well. Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted May 8, 2008 Share Posted May 8, 2008 I used to have a cache called "Help Me...Not Exactly". I gave you the coordinates to a large fake birdhouse that I made, secured with a combination lock. Inside was a 1.5 gallon pretzel jar stuffed full of really good swag. When you opened it up I had 2 straps actually pop the cache out. The entrance was a 4" thick piece of lumber that I drilled a 2" hole 2" deep in and painted black to mimic the bird entrance but no bird could get into. I also gave 2 projections. The first one: I bought a large bundle of wreath type reed material at a craft store...it was even lacquered. I coiled it into a nest shape and used tiny bits of wire to secure its shape and to secure it into the crook of a tree. In the nest I put in a little hollow ceramic egg. I was just barely able to write 2 numbers inside the hollow ceramic egg, coil a loop of wire inside and down thru the fake nest...to secure the egg from walking away. Then back to the birdhouse. Another projection. This time it was to a tiny live trap that I'd cammo painted and hid under one end of a wooden bog walkway...the end where there was a concrete base. Of course it was tripped. Inside was a rubber mouse, hollow...with a 35mm film can shoved up its backside. Inside were the other 2 numbers. If you did it in the order that wrote the instructions on the cache page the combination numbers would be reversed (thus the "Not Exactly" part of the name). I considered (and still consider) this a tasteful cache. Anybody who thinks otherwise...I would have second thoughts about them. Quote Link to comment
+Gustav129 Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 (edited) The two that I dread the moment if I ever come across one, is the fake dog turd, and the wad of wet toilet paper. Edited May 12, 2008 by gustav129 Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted May 12, 2008 Share Posted May 12, 2008 We had (might still have) one here in Michigan that was called Bigfoot Poo. It was covered with plastic flies and inside there were cache specific sig cards that had plastic flies attached to them also. The goal was to find the cache and have a cacher named bigfoot sign the card...so you could have a certified bigfoot poo cache bigfoot poo fly. I still have my card but haven't seen bigfoot face to face in quite a long time. Quote Link to comment
+The Cookie Makers Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 We put out a new cache last month The Fun Guy, drilled a hole in a stump under one of those shelf fungi and slipped a film canister in there so it was visible from the back, so that no one would have to disturb any of the fungi. I started getting reports of the fungi being pulled off the stump and went and checked on it and a lot of the fungi on there have been broken off. Very disappointing. There's a lot of careful cachers out there, but there's also a lot of not so smart ones whether it's adults or adults letting their kids go wild, we'll now be placing caches keeping those not so smart ones in mind.. Quote Link to comment
+belair56 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 A little off the subject but not that far off, I recently have starting making caches out of 3" pipe fittings, (Ammo Cans are hard to get) I set one no problem, the 2nd one the Admin said it would resemble a pipe bomb, now the cache is 3" in diameter, with a screw end and the other end is glued, and it's marked geocache, it's in a old gravel pit on the edge of the park. I see this type of container as being waterproof, and certainly lasts longer than a coffee can. What's everyone think?? Quote Link to comment
Clan Riffster Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I recently have starting making caches out of 3" pipe fittings, What's everyone think?? I think your common sense is showing. Just because you, me or anyone else with an IQ larger than their shoe size would realize immediately that your pipe was not an IED, doesn't mean everybody would come to the same conclusion. There are some folks who, (Gaia only knows why), thinks that every piece of capped off pipe must be a bomb, and they'll act accordingly. For that reason, I can't recommend pipes as cache containers. Quote Link to comment
+midnightrosefashions Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 i was just searching for a cache the other day. one of those, no hints needed it will be easy. never found it. i did see a bird's nest and thought it would be detrimental if that was the cache as it was high and you wouldn't know if it was real or not. i used a mirror to see that it was empty and real. there was even a white ribbon entwined in it. i think if the bird's nest had some kind if signifier with geocaching colors or a tag then i would be more inclined to check it out. otherwise i will leave most nests alone... unless i'm not finding that dumb cache. Quote Link to comment
CoyoteRed Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I found this on a different site... Any time you create a paradigm, even mentioning such in a thread such as this or over in the container thread, you run the risk of cachers destroying the real thing. Folks simply get too rambunctious, too eager to find the cache so they can go on to the next one, or to be the first in the group to make the find. It's like this, someone's first lamp post hide throws them for a loop unless they've heard of one before. Thereafter, any time the GPS points to even near a lamp post they'll look under the skirt. It's the same for every single style of hide. There's no need to get so tricky as to create a fake bird's nest low enough so folks can look in without touching complete with fake bird. You know why? Because if muggles are so thick that you can't hide an ammo can under that tree they're going to spot that fake bird's nest with fake bird and investigate it themselves. Then your cache is gone. In the meantime, we've hidden ammo cans and LnLs near thick muggle traffic with great success. ...without resorting to objects that create a negative paradigm. Quote Link to comment
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