“The builder of this nest must be doing it for the first time.
“I was watching it as it went about it’s business of collecting material around our garden. The weather was fine, the nest looks promising until the weather turned foul. The problem was that the material this bird chose was very water absorbent, and as it collected more water the nest became heavier and heavier. The top part of the nest attached to the bamboo twigs started to tear, the bottom of the nest finally gave way.
“So maybe the choice of material was not right, compounded with the fact that maybe the bird did not do a good job of sewing the nest together.”
KC Tsang
Singapore
11th March 2011
Note: Building a nest takes time, skill as well as experience. First timers may fail to build a proper nest, especially where intricate nests are concerned, as seen in those of the Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus). Or the nest may be sited in an inappropriate location as seen in this pair of Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) and Striped Tit Babbler (Macronous gularis). In the case of this pair of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Cinnyris jugularis), they miscalculated the life span of the palm frond the nest was attached to.
