Ball of Leaves You See in Trees in NH, MA, ME Not Birds' Nests

From autumn through the beginning of springtime, you may have noticed those large, round piles of leaves up in the trees. Usually, they're at least 20 feet up and one or two feet wide. Sometimes, several are scattered in the same tree, while only one is seen taking up several big branches in another tree. But they're everywhere.

Since most birds fly south for the winter, chances are, you're seeing what's called a drey. Dreys are up in the trees all year long. However, they're hidden by leaves in the warmer months when everything is alive and in bloom.

According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, those dreys are the homes of those furry, outdoor creatures our dogs like to bark at and chase. Yup, squirrels don't just live inside trees. They build nests just like birds, but on a much larger scale.

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Those dreys are most likely empty in the colder months, as they're the summer homes for squirrels. It's where they disappear to when they run up trees after collecting acorns, or just doing their curious squirrel things down on the ground. However, in the winter, they will live in dreys if they cannot find a tree cavity to spend the colder months.

According to the Massachusetts Audubon Society, when you see a large collection of acorns all in one place around a tree, chances are, there's a squirrel drey above you. Also, that drey may have started as a bird's nest, and then a squirrel family moved in and made it bigger by adding twigs and leaves.

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Source: Those Big Bundle of Leaves You See in Trees Around New England Aren’t for Birds