While watching a willie wagtail nest I noticed the wagtail return to the nest with his/her face covered in spiders web. I know they use web for linning the nest but I was to find out how they did it. The nest already contained eggs and the two birds would take turns in sitting on them. When this wagtail returned with its face covered in web it sat in the nest then started to wipe its face around the outside of the nest until all the web was deposited on the outside of the nest.
Getting on the nest
settling in
And wiping off
There seems to be a lot of nesting and breeding activity at the moment - the wetlands are full of baby birds. I thought it was unusually late.
Gorgeous series of photos Headsie.
It never ceases to amaze me just how birds construct their nests - such delicate work!
Hi Marj:
I am wondering which part of Australia you are referring regarding Nesting etc for Wagtails.
I live in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and often I ride my bike along the merry creek where I observe a lot of bird activities but didn’t notice anything
Christopher: Birds are Beautiful People
Last spring Denis, I spent some time watching a red capped parrot nest and the wagtails were close by.
Here are some pics of the red caps.
I'm not seeing wagtails nesting at the moment - I'm seeing lots of waterbirds whose cycles I guess are more dependent on rainfall than seasons. I've photographed baby swans, grebes, stilts, ducks in recent weeks.