The Willie Wagtails. A Birds Eye View.
Saturday, 10th October 2009
My kitchen window with the bird's eye view
Noon. I’m working in the kitchen. Preparing my usual Saturday food extravaganza. Cakes, muffins, bread. A delicious roast for dinner.
It’s my way of relaxing. I switch off one switch and turn on another.
Honeysuckle has been draping our house since 1992. Its intoxicating perfume in spring adds a zing to your heart when it wafts in your direction.
There are wings fluttering under the honeysuckle, by the front door. Then they disappear.
Back again. In seconds. And again. And again.
Oh my god!
That’s a Willie Wagtail building her nest in direct line of the torpedoes that shoot in and out of the front door. Me, my partner, Victor Pleshev, and our 3 dogs. Feather, a Springer Spaniel X; Daisy Mae, a Collie; Jake, a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
I take the bare beginnings of the nest down. She’ll have to find another spot.
She and her cohort in nest building are back again. Again. And again.
I take the nest down and put up a small wire barricade.
It works.
But not very well.
Her next spot is right next to her original spot.
Saturday and Sunday I spend my time foiling her attempts to build her nest in line with the busiest spot in our house.
Monday 12th October 2009
Another flutter of wings.
The Willie's nest nestled in the honeysuckle
This time right outside my kitchen window. She’s segued a few metres away, found another curve in the weathered and thickened branches of the honeysuckle, and is busy putting the remnants of her nest together.
We’ve shared our garden with Willies since we arrived in 1992.
Their first nest was attached to the electricity insulator cap that connects the electricity to the house.
In ’92, we had no garden. We came to live in a house in a bare paddock that resembled the surface of Mars. But Willies are very adaptable.
Victor and I decided we’ll let her build her nest. It’s a quieter spot and she’s a very determined lady.
Tuesday, 13th October 2009
Victor peers out the kitchen window. “Not much going on out there” he muses. “Probably abandoned it for someplace else.”
Wednesday, 14th October 2009
More flutter of wings. She and her partner are darting back and forth. I can see a little more height being added to her structure.
Thursday, 15th October 2009
Victor, ever the architect, peers out the window. “They need a project manager”, he says, “to keep this house moving along.”
Friday, 16th October 2009
“These Willies obviously don’t have a penalty clause in their contract for late completion”, Victor says.
“Maybe they’re on a last minute honeymoon before the reality of parenthood sets in” I say.
And wonder myself at the lack of action on this nest. Maybe they have abandoned it.
Saturday, 17th October 2009
A flurry of activity starts at first light. Both Willies are flying in and out, building the nest. They sit in it, wiggle around, judge it’s not quite right. Fly out.
After a couple of hours, nothing happens.
Maybe it’s my Motown CD’s, the sounds of the mixer, blender, food processor. My constant apparition at the kitchen window as I happily work my way through my list of delectables to make for the day.
Victor peers out the window and says, “This nest doesn’t look big enough to me.”
“They’re both architect and master builder and I’m sure they know their measurements”, I muse.
But also wonder. It looks small to me.
4pm. A massive flurry of activity. She’s in the nest, beak down, bum up, smoothing and straightening. Beak up, bum down. Wiggling around for comfort.
He darts in and out, bringing strands to add to the structure.
All the while, singing the sweetest bird song ever to be heard.
6pm. It’s quiet. They’ve downed tools and departed for the day.
Sunday, 18th October 2009
This is a noisy day for my household.
Victor’s working in the garden, pruning and mowing. His petrol powered, long handled pruning shears make a racket. And the ride-on mower is even noisier. The three dogs are in their element, running back and forth, barking and chasing. Us and each other.
Me, I’m the quiet one. Just me and my wheelbarrow, pulling weeds, laying sugar cane mulch and positioning stumps for a small, decorative fence.
Then at 4pm, we down tools. We’re finished for the day.
The Willies come back, working on their structure.
Monday, 19th October 2009
Early morning I go outside and look up at the nest. It looks just right to me.
And it must be. A little later on, I see her wiggling around and dancing up and down in the nest.
Does this mean she’s Goldilocks and her bed is just right?
So. Is it time to lay some eggs and prepare for parenthood?
Monday, 26th October 2009
I think we’re going to be grandparents.
The Willie singing in the honeysuckle
The Willie is sitting on her nest, oblivious to the comings and goings of the household. Then jumping off and sitting on the honeysuckle, singing and twittering.
The weather is miserable. 8C, high winds, cloudy and gloomy. But we feel privileged to have such a birds eye view of her impending motherhood.
Stay tuned in.
Take care,
Carol
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Such cute little birds; they knew where it was nice to build !
Are you grandparents yet? Surely yes.
Willie Wee Wagtails have always facinated me. My grandfather used to whistle to them. Just love them, and the little blue wrens too, and those little yellow eyed nectar sucking birds who visit my purple Hibiscus. Surely, birds must be a signal of their providence. Don’t you think?
BEVERLEY,
When we arrived here in 1992, the farmhouse sat in the middle of a bare hectare of paddock. We had 5 species of birds. That hectare is now completely planted out with hundreds of trees and thousands of fragrant shrubs and ground cover. More than 90+ species of birds now fly in and fly out throughout the year. I know the seasons just by the arrival and departure of the birds. A calendar is no longer needed!
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It’s appreciated.
Take care,
CAROL