We have baby Willie Wagtails in a nest
Willie Wagtails in the nest
I had suspected that our resident pair of Willie Wagtails have been nesting somewhere in our mallee scrub but hadn’t been able to locate the nest. They can be very sneaky and secretive about the whole affair.
Then a few days ago I was cleaning up in an area of the scrub not frequented all that often and I was attacked by the adults. Not that they actually hit or bit me; they just made it quite obvious by their scotching calls and close swooping over my head that I was not welcome.
Sure enough – three fluffy chicks were over filling a totally inadequate nest. The photo above shows their home almost bursting at the seams.
I took the photo a few weeks ago and the chicks have now fledged and are making their presence known around the garden, demanding food from a harried set of parents struggling to keep up with their insistent calling for food.
The next question is: will the parents nest again once this brood is off their hands… er… beaks and feeding themselves independently?
The photo of some fledged Willie Wagtails was taken a few years ago at the same location.
Further reading:
Baby Willie Wagtails just out of their nest and being fed.
They’re only just “in” that nest. Love the way Willies outgrow their home so quickly!!
It always amazes me how they actually stay in the nest.
I love how bird babies cram into a nest! What a wonderful sight. I don’t think I’ve seen a willie wagtail nest before. It’s very like a magpie lark nest in shape isn’t it? But looks more fibrous than just muddy.
Hi Louise, you are right – the WW nest is much smaller but still bowl shaped. It it mainly made from fine grass, thin bark, spider’s web, animal hair, wool and even feathers. Very soft and cosy.
[…] Willie Wagtail: our resident birds have been very quiet and I suspected that they had a nest somewhere but I only found it yesterday. It contained two eggs. The photo above shows a fluffy family of Willie Wagtails just out of the nest a few years ago. […]