About mid-July, I watched a Brown Honeyeater constructing a nest near the
office where I work - a bit early in the season, but there had been rain and it
had been warm.
I'm not sure when the bird started building the nest as the structure wasn't
easily visible until half built. For a couple of days, the bird laboured from
about 11:00 a.m. for a few hours. Before that weekend, the nest didn't appear
to be quite complete, but I expected to come in on the Monday to find an
occupied nest. However, after a wet weekend, the nest was sad and soggy, and
I thought abandoned. However, at 11:00 a.m., work commenced again, lots of
trying for size and shape and much re-working the top section. That was just
for an hour, and again on Tuesday, and since then, completely deserted.
However, today, 3rd August, there is the bird on the nest! A bit of coming
and going, but certainly sitting on the nest for periods of time.
I'm not sure if this is a youngster having a practice run, or perhaps a strict
unionist adhering to performance guidelines, or maybe a spouse who has been
abandoned by a frivolous partner while it worked hard at home-making.
Do hope the poor creature doesn't plan on trying to raise a family working
part-time! It will be interesting to see if anything might hatch. I wish I
could see if there are actually eggs in the nest.
Is this at all normal behaviour? I thought everything went flat out during
nest construction and until the family was raised and sent out on their own.
Robyn
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