Recently I got a chance to see a baya weaver bird weaving its nest. We all have seen the nest as a dry tube like mesh with some bulges here and there... But call it Nature's Excellence or an architectural marvel ... each and every curve of the nest has a significance.
The nest hangs from a branch and looks like an upside down flask. Generally the nest hangs on the weakest and most flamboyant branches of the tree. Often a thorny tree adds to the safety. The suspended design helps keep the feline predators at bay.
The central bulge is the actual nesting area and the tube on the side that leads to the exit. This tube makes it difficult even for snakes to enter the nest. Although the nests look precarious, most nests are very well attached and are impossible to remove without almost destroying the nest.
The nests are made entirely out of strips of grass which the birds collect by cutting a notch in a tall grass. The bird usually gets hold of an entire blade of grass and then it stripping it into thin threads (30-60cms), which then it weaves into knots. As you can see in the image, a newly-made nest is green with fresh grass and turns brown as the grass dries.
The nests last well through the 3-month breeding season, sometimes even up to a year. The entire procedure of building the nests could take weeks to complete.
I could not see the entire nest being constructed, but at least I could witness a part of Natures way to Protect the next Generation...
The nest hangs from a branch and looks like an upside down flask. Generally the nest hangs on the weakest and most flamboyant branches of the tree. Often a thorny tree adds to the safety. The suspended design helps keep the feline predators at bay.The central bulge is the actual nesting area and the tube on the side that leads to the exit. This tube makes it difficult even for snakes to enter the nest. Although the nests look precarious, most nests are very well attached and are impossible to remove without almost destroying the nest.
The nests are made entirely out of strips of grass which the birds collect by cutting a notch in a tall grass. The bird usually gets hold of an entire blade of grass and then it stripping it into thin threads (30-60cms), which then it weaves into knots. As you can see in the image, a newly-made nest is green with fresh grass and turns brown as the grass dries. The nests last well through the 3-month breeding season, sometimes even up to a year. The entire procedure of building the nests could take weeks to complete.
I could not see the entire nest being constructed, but at least I could witness a part of Natures way to Protect the next Generation...
