In an earlier column, the subject was about the different types of nests that different species make.
I was once asked why some birds might prefer to nest in man-made objects or places.
I didn’t have a real answer to give him except to say it would have provided better security and be out of the weather..
On reflection, I thought it might be of interest in today’s column to mention some of the birds that I have found using human facilities in their surrounding environment even though some of these birds may have been covered in previous articles.
One of the first to come to mind was the beautiful little Pardalote. Its choice was to use a load of soil that has been left in a yard. By burrowing a tunnel into it, must have seemed an ideal location to them.
As I am writing this, I can hear our friendly neighbourhood Sunbirds chirping away to each other outside. They have often made use of our verandah for their nest.
At Rosslyn Bay, a pair of Osprey have taken over a man-made nesting box placed high above the car-park by the local council. It has been used for many years ever since it was built. My illustration shows one of the adult birds about to take off while the other remained to look after the young ones.
I have seen quite a few Willy Wagtails taking advantage of a human’s shelter for their nest.
One pair was inside an old dairy safe from the weather and preditors. Another pair was on the cross beam under the awning of a roof. A third pair was inside a garage so the owner had to keep the door partly open so the birds could come and go as they pleased.
