Fallen nests

In the few months we have been here we have seen so much bird activity. We have seen over 60 different  bird species on the property and their antics at the bird bath and around the house keep us endlessly amused.

We have also found fallen nests.

This large nest we found today. It's quite large (see its size on the chair cushion) and its made from fine twigs and dried grass with a little plastic and fur from a possum perhaps?

This one is made almost entirely from the bark of a red stringy bark tree but has the odd little bit of sheep wool, some fine grey hair ( from what I cannot guess) and a flower or two. 

And the last one is the smallest of them all. Its made from fine dried grass with a little bit of dried moss around the rim.

What little works of art they all are.

They now grace our side board and have joined two other nests we collected from  our former house in Sydney -  one made by a Bul Bul and another by a Silver eye. The side board is getting a little crowded.

Do you know who these three nests belong to? Do you have a small collection of things you pick up from the bush/ forest/ farmland?

Hi from Highfield

Today is the first day that we 'own' our new property - Highfield.  The last week has been a flurry of 'ings'-  sorting, wrapping, packing, boxing, stacking, driving, unstacking, unboxing, unwrapping, re-sorting,  cupboarding. My hands are sore from paper cuts and cleaning fluid but we are content if  tired.

Soon, I will introduce our new home to you. But right now I want to introduce you to some of our neighbours. This was the first little fella that waved to me on arrival - a lovely big praying mantis. Don't you love his topnot?



Then, I quickly noticed the willie wagtail nest being built. Right outside our front balcony, a pair of conscientious willies are constructing a beautiful nest in a hakea.  The books say that willies build their nests from mud and soften it with a quilt of spiders web. Indeed we see these little, bright birds return to their 'cottage' under construction with beaks of white sticky fluff.  They beat their little heads and chests over the edge to transfer the web and smooth it off, creating a felty home. There seem to be a few galah chest feathers in the wall of the nest, little specks of gala-pink against the pale grey of web - very pretty.

It feels right that we are nesting in our new home the same time the Willies are.

We are on Wiradjuri land, a large country of the original indigenous owners. The Wiradjuri call the Willie Wagtail  - dirrijirri - which, if you have ever heard a Willie's calls, is onomatopoeic.

We are tempted to call our little cottage Dirrijirri House.