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.