Let Us Look At Those Markings Carefully !!!

Double Click On The Photo For Clearer Viewing.


Look at this photo carefully and let us try to evaluate everything that you can see on them.

Perhaps if you are very the observant you might see more then what I can see.

Our main reason is to understand what the birds are trying to do the moment they started their nest building.

1)The wet markings on the wood.

You might be able to see some kind of wet layer of saliva or glue on the nesting planks. Both sides have the same wetness.The distribution looks very much balanced on both side of the nesting planks.

These might be the base of a newly built nest.

2)The black feathers.

You can see at least 6 to 7 strands of black colored feathers. There are the thin feathers from the abdomen or body of the birds and not the wings.

Why must they pull their own feathers and stick them to the base?

I think that must be something like their technique to identify their nest especially when they fly in the dark.

Their sense of smell plays a very important role when flying in the dark to locate which nest is mine.

3) Those saliva strands.

They looks very much like those glue strips. They are not always straight from one plank to the other but some are up and down.

Some are thin bit some are quite fat.

I wonder why they build from top to bottom. If I were the bird I will concentrate on one spot. Less saliva and less hassle.

I believed the builder is a very new couple who have never built a nest before. Not enough saliva or perhaps too busy taking some shot with the partner.

4) How Old Was The Nest?

This is something that you need to predict yourself. For me the nest looks like being very recent. I would say not more then one week.

The birds takes about 3 weeks to complete their nest before laying their first egg. Two days after that the second egg will be laid.

5) Why They Choose Corners.

You can see that this is a corner nest markings.

Due to the close proximity of the nesting plank (90*) the birds can easily place her saliva on both planks. This will form as the base anchor.



Well those are the things that I can evaluate from looking at the way the markings are being made.

You might want to add any new things that you felt I have missed.