My Nest and Mrs Robin Wants the Right Twig Part 1

Building a nest is a huge job. Of course my nest which will actually be bower is far bigger than something that I would just sit in the middle of and incubate eggs.

Some obvious things that took me awhile to figure out. It's obvious that this nest is on the ground instead of in the air somewhere therefore there isn't a twig bottom. And if there isn't a twig bottom woven into the sides the sides become pretty fragile. No I'm not putting a twig bottom on it as it's going to take bijillion twigs just to do the sides but it occurred to me that I could use the ground to anchor the sides.

It's been incredibly rainy, sleety, wet so the ground is somewhat soft until you get close to the maple where there are so many roots in the ground that ground anchoring just can't happen. Pushing long twigs into the ground works out pretty well at this point

I was reconnoitering the area for twigs and saw that one of the neighbors had pruned their pussy willow suckers. Long wands of pussy willow, hmmm. And pussy willows like others of the willow family will sometimes take root from a twig in the ground. If you look carefully you will see pussy willow uprights that will be woven into the horizontals as I go along.

And yes, I did put in a gate. I can't fly. Sigh.

From Robin of Illinois, it's going to be raining urban ducklings again. Mama is back on the Sterling Bank!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sterling-Savings-Bank-Mama-Duck/90524037128?ref=nf

And here is the beginning of Mrs. Robin and her twigs.

IT'S THE MOTHER LODE OF TWIGS. I abscond with twigs using this '77 pickup. And when I unloaded some did escape my wheel barrow and Mrs. Robin now has twig envy herself.

If you looked at yesterday's post, did you notice what is going on in photo 12. This was actually the answer I was looking for and part of why I photographed her. I wanted to know if Robins only manipulated the twigs with their beaks or whether there was foot action as well.

Okay read this and then go check out photo 12. Mrs. Robin is holding the troublesome twig, stock still with her foot, while gripping another portion of the twig with her beak and whipping her head back and forth. Feet are definitely involved.

D.B.