Monday, February 12, 2018
New Nest Construction
A participant in yesterday's Bird Walk at Cattail Cove State Park showed me an strange nest she had noticed in the north end of the Cactus Garden. I wasn't sure but thought it was possibly a Verdin nest. I returned for a second look in the afternoon and discovered a pair of Verdin busy with nest construction. Taking into account that they have no hands, only their bill to weave an estimated 2,000 twigs into place, it's a remarkable feat of workmanship. They build a sphere shaped structure, hollow in the inside, with an entrance on a low corner. We watched them zoom in and out of this entrance hole as they worked inside and out bringing twigs to strategically put in place to make a strong nest. They will finish by lining the inside with feathers for a soft surface to lay her eggs. I have been hoping to find an active nest for the past month, but had only been able to find four older sites, so this was a pretty exciting find. We will be visiting this new nest site with my Bird Walk group daily to monitor the busy activity.
What an exciting find! They are amazing creatures. Thanks for sharing.
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