What are they doing? What are they thinking? Why do they do that? Are they nuts?
Every year some little sparrows work diligently ... dragging leaves, long stems of grass, and twigs and bits of string and all sorts of things up inside the top boards of a privacy fence in the yard.
I can't decide if it is several nests in there or if it is just one looooong one... the fence is 8 feet wide and they go all along the full length of it. Maybe a communal nest? Who knows. All I know is... they work at it...then, work stops...and all of a sudden there seems to be no interest in it anymore. Nobody comes and goes...no babies show up or anything.... hmmmm... what the heck is happening?
I pull out handfuls of stuff later in the season..or sometimes I try to do it as they are dragging in "stuff" to dissuade them..... nothing works. We always say we are going to put in some blocks between each upright but, we never seem to get around to doing it and it begins again mid summer each year. They are at the stage where they have sort of slowed down and are not so excited about dragging in any more material now.....
Look at this little guy...his leaf is bigger than he is.
He noticed me moving in the window...and took a running start with his prize, whatever it is ... ...you can almost see the soles of his little feet...hahahhaha...
See the tail feathers? They jump and climb up inside there .... it's crazy... they come out looking all wonky and their feathers are standing up on end...it is a pretty tight fit. A throttled " 'and brush" as my Mum used to say.
Missus Limpy sits on the patio wall...just watching,.. wondering what they are up to.
Oh, and that's another myth bashed.... crows do not keep the little birds from your yard. As a matter of fact... the sparrows and others steal the seeds or crumbs right off the garden stone that is the "crow platter"... every time the crows step more than 2 feet away from it. Crows don't scare anybody......
Linking to Stewart's blog and other bird pics and stories about birds.
