bird-nesting

alternative birds'-nesting · alternative bird nesting

1. AustraliaUKuncountableThe, formerly common, hobby of looking for birds' nests, often with the intention of collecting the eggs.

   Let's go bird-nesting.

   1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary On The Plains, page 189

   1 more example

   They [the boys] all had catapults […]. In summer they used to go fishing and bird-nesting.

   1939, George Orwell, Coming Up for Air, London: Victor Gollancz, page 56 (Penguin 1962 edition)

2. USuncountableA custody arrangement in which the child of divorced parents remains in one home while the parents take turns to move in and out.

   An unusual, but not unheard of, setup called bird nesting is when children stay in the house and the parents take turns moving in and out.

   2007, Gayle Rosenwald Smith, What Every Woman Should Know about Divorce and Custody

   1 more example

   He should feel lucky I agreed to test out this bird-nesting custody arrangement this month. It was a huge inconvenience for me to have the kids staying full time in the house while Mark and I traded time living there.

   2017, Etta Faire, Feliz Navi-Dead: A Sketchy Matchmaker Mystery