From: David Rosalky [
Sent: Saturday, 8 August 2009 9:17 PM
To: Bird List
Subject: [canberrabirds] Magpie nest
Breeding
season in my GBS precinct in Deakin has been best displayed by a busy female
magpie who has been building a nest for the past two weeks. When I first
observed it, I was surprised at the position - a fairly flat and exposed bough
of a eucalypt rather than in a fork. The nest developed with many
observed visits of the female carrying sticks and the male perched in sentry
position nearby (especially late in the building period). First there was
just a thin skeletal bowl shape and then, progressively, a substantial
bowl which looked to me noticably larger than magpie nests usually are.
Yesterday
morning (Friday), the bird was busy in the nest and seemed to be adjusting
sticks. By lunchtime, with the wind howling, my wife and I passed again
and saw that the nest was no longer in the tree but lying fairly intact on the
ground. The surprise was that the nest contained no fewer than three wire
coat hangers, substantial pieces of plastic webbing and other man-made flotsam
and jetsam. This probably explains the large size. How she got
these heavy elements into the nest is a mystery - I did not see her carrying
anything but sticks in my casual observations. It would have
been quite a sight to see!
My
conclusion is that the bird was probably an inexperienced nest builder and that
she will have to improve her choice of site and materials. Perhaps the
male may have to improve his choice of mate if he wants to increase his chances
of breeding successfully.
The
attached photo shows the hangers fairly clearly and gives an idea of size
relative to my foot.
Any
comments or similar observations?
