These strange little basidiomycetes are always a joy to find - especially when these mushroom nests are ripe with spore eggs (called "peridioles"). There are several species of Bird's Nest Fungus which include the genera Crucibulum, Cyathus, Mycocalia, Nidula, and Nidularia. This particular species, Nidula candida, is perhaps the most common species that I encounter here in the Pacific Northwest.