Take a look at my last blogpost first, if you haven’t seen it.
I have two species of tailorbirds that nest in my garden. The fleeting glimpses I’ve caught of the owners of this one indicate it is the Common Tailorbird, sometimes called the Long-tailed. The other species is the Ashy.
I took these pictures at dusk – I waited to make sure the builders had gone for the night, as I didn’t want them to abandon the nest because I was too close.
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| The entire nest can be seen between the dotted lines |
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| It consists of three leaves, sewn together by the bird’s needle – its beak, using as thread anything wispy like tree cotton, thistledown or fluff. You can see the curve of the nest interior by looking at the line of stitches |
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| This is taken from the bedroom window, looking directly down on the nest at the backside. |
The bird works mostly from the interior, poking a hole and then threading the fluffy stuff through to the outside. On the outside, it fluffs it out still more so that it won’t pull back through, and the stitch is done. The leaves are still on the plant, still growing – the perfect camouflage, one hopes…
Thanks so much for these photos, Glenda.
So many people these days miss out on so much because they 'don't have time for a garden'. Driving through the newer suburbs of Perth (and no doubt most modern cities) the mind boggles at the bare yards (when there is a yard) with barely a blade of (real) grass, let alone a tree.
Our first move after we moved into our home was to plant our yard with native trees and shrubs in an effort to attract birds and lizards into the garden. I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered a white-cheeked honeyeater nesting near the front door.
I didn't even mind the feral doves nesting in a tree in the backyard. They might not be native but who can be upset about new life?
It's wonderful isn't it – just to see or hear the birds makes my heart lift. And yes, those empty yards distress me. For many, many years I lived in rented houses, and I was always planting things, even then!
I do so know what you mean, I miss the nesting boxes and bird feeders we used to have in North Carolina. Although we have a wonderful park here, the trees are mostly too far away for us to see the birds, only thing we see are squirrels. We do miss our birds.
That nest is quite incredible.