The birds are nesting

Always a harbinger of seasonal change, birds going about their nesting procedures means that spring is only just around the corner – be welcome won’t it?

The little Brown Thornbill builds a dome-shaped nest, generally low down in a thicket of understory. The rather untidy nest is built with grasses, strips of bark, fern fronds and cobweb. It is lined with fur and feathers. The female Brown Thornbill incubates the eggs which hatch after about 2-3 weeks. The young fledge about a fortnight later.

A Brown Thornbill at Garfield collecting animal fur to line its nest

Ravens build a rough bowl-shaped nest of twigs and sticks. They line the nest with soft grasses, wool and fur. Australian Ravens – ‘aah-aah-aah-aaaahhhhh’ – usually select a site high in the canopy. The more common Little Raven – ‘ah-ah-ah-ah’ – often builds its nest lower down, even on the ground in some places.

A Raven in Cranbourne collecting nesting material

The ubiquitous Grey Fantail Builds a beautiful little cup-shaped ‘wine glass’ nest of fine shreds of bark and grasses interwoven with cobweb. It is nearly always placed low down in the fork of a thin branch (to deter approaching heavy predators?). Fantail nests are built with coloured materials that blend them into their surroundings for camouflage.

Grey Fantail on its nest at Longwarry North