Monday, April 16, 2012

Decorated Nest

I'd heard that birds will weave plastic Easter basket grass and other colorful items into their nests but I never saw it in action until now:





I found the nest on the ground and propped it back into the bush but it had already been abandoned. I can't tell what bird made it. I think it's too small for a robin's nest (but the blue would have went with the eggs). I don't think it's a dove's or cardinal's nest, too small and tightly woven. Any ideas?
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could be the mockingbird, - resourceful nest builders and songsters. Or the black capped chickadee one of the more creative types. I'm just making this up; your guess is better than mine, but how fascinating!

Claudia said...

I'll go along with black capped chickadee. It looks like a small nest and used grass instead of twigs. Chickadees are tiny!

caulfieldkid said...

Well, let's see.

-You found the nest shortly after Easter.
-There is Easter basket grass woven into it's construction.
-A Cadberry Egg would fit, conspicuously, perfect in it.

I think it's pretty clear. It's the nest of a Blue-Footed Boobie.

shaun

p.s. I have no clue, but now I'm curious.

Bix said...

Lol, the Cadbury nest! Shaun, we have Zitner's dark chocolate-covered coconut cream eggs here. I haven't had one in a few years, but the memory, oh! You must be awash in eggs down there.

Bix said...

We have lots of chickadees here. Tiny is right. And they usually stick around over winter. I don't know how they survive.

Bix said...

This is a great little site. It has songs of various birds. The Black-capped Chickadee:

http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=12

Bix said...

I have a follow-up story about this nest...

When I propped it back in a bush, I impaled it on a stick so it wouldn't blow away in a storm. I wondered if someone would rent it, pre-fab nest.

Well, the nest was literally ripped out of it's spot ... 3 times in less than 24 hours! And each time I replaced it I was sure to secure it better than the last time. Who or what is tearing a nest out of a bush? Why?