Winter hasn’t quite withdrawn: last week was cold and blustery with rain showers. But the wagtail nesting site is well protected from the elements. The bay tree growing alongside has been swaying in the stiff wind gusts, while the pair take turns to sit on the eggs in the comfort of a stable foundation. The broad leaves of the aloe tree form protection from the driving rain. The clever little nest builders picked a perfect site. Two weeks have elapsed since they started sitting that means approximately a week to hatching time.
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You must have been real close to click this pic! Unafraid, wow.. but then wagtails probably are not all that afraid of humans. 🙂
The beauty of a good telephoto lens enables a lot of prying from a discreet distance 🙂 They used to be quite territorial and would ‘attack’ with low flying tactics and chatter away with great indignation. But now they tolerate our presence well enough to get the laundry hung up and even to get gardening chores done.
They seem to be unafraid mostly. For such tiny birds, they have large hearts 🙂 But they are usually discreet when nesting. I guess it is just a matter of knowing whether the human nearby means them any harm or not. Most of the birds around this place, just walk all over me now. It is crazy to see them threaten me when I get too close to their nests. I have to then pretend that I am very afraid and back off. Wonder what will happen once the weeds are ready to be removed, like now probably when the monsoons have receded. 😦
Topical subjects – niche habitats in sheltered gardens and commensal relationships 🙂 Go easy on those weeds….
I know, but they have mostly taken over the property, as they do every year. My wife is a little upset over the recent snake-bite incident over here and worried that we might get into trouble too. So we have to clear the weeds in the residential section at least 🙂
How fortunate to find this little gem tucked into the greenery!
And we’re doubly lucky being able to view the whole scene from the diningroom window. The bring us much delight 🙂
Very nice additional feature.
Wow – telling a story.