"This is a brilliant example of how communities can make a real difference – not just for wildlife, but for the future of our planet."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgkj78e3zvo

#SheffieldSwiftNetwork #Sheffield #Birds #Nature #Swifts #WildLife #Community #BirdsOfMastodon #BioDiversity #Nests #SolarPunkSunday

More predator hornets found in Auckland, total of queens now 9

“One nest was more developed and contained a queen, two worker hornets and two adults which were about…
#NewsBeep #News #Headlines #auckland #ball #been #both #containing #cricket #found #have #hornet #Hornets #in #more #nests #NewZealand #Now #NZ #of #predator #Queens #size #total
https://www.newsbeep.com/253421/

Mudlarks building nest of mud

A few weeks ago, I watched a pair of Mudlarks building their nest. Mudlarks get their name from their construction of nests made of mud and reeds. Despite their name, Mudlarks are not larks. Another name for them is Magpie-larks — but they’re not Magpies either! Yet another name for them is Peewees, which is an imitation of the noise they make: pee-wee, pee-wee.

Building a good nest takes a lot of patience and skill. The birds use their beaks to pile globules of mud on top of each other to form a bowl, increasing the circumference of the bowl with each layer. Every now and then, the birds sit in the growing nest and wiggle their bodies around to smooth out the inside and make sure the nest is the right size and shape. Watch this video to see the nest-building:

https://youtu.be/xixmDTYbEcc

The birds collect mud and reeds from a nearby river or lake. Here’s a pair of them (male and female) collecting reeds at Manly Dam in NSW, Australia:

https://youtu.be/nroz2UlD6oc

Here’s the female sitting in the nest, making sure it’s the right size and shape:

Here’s a still shot of the male gathering mud and reeds:

Common name: Magpie-lark, also called a Peewee or a Mudlark
Scientific name: Grallina cyanoleuca
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 18 September 2025 (spring)
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia

#australia #birds #birdwatching #MagpieLark #mudlark #nests #peewee #SydneyBirds

COZY OWL HAVENS 💛 "There's no place like home"

🌳🍂🍃🍂🦉🏡🛏🏡🦉🍂🍃🍂🌲

#owl #owls #bird #birds #owlet #owlets #nest #nests #OwlNest #OwlNests #Nature #naturephotography #NatureIsBeautiful #OWLSofmastodon #BIRDSofmastodon
#OwlLover 💕😘🦉🤗💕

Alas, butcherbirds nest abandoned when tree fern sprouted

In my previous post, I wrote about a pair of Grey Butcherbirds that had built their nest in a tree fern below our house. The problem with tree ferns is that they sprout new fronds from the centre of the trunk, exactly where the birds had built their nest. 

The photos of the nest in my earlier post were taken on the 18th of September. Just a few days later, the tree fern did indeed sprout a new frond, putting the nest at an uncomfortable angle. Still, the butcherbirds persevered. This photo, taken on the 25th of September shows one of the birds sitting determinedly on a very slanted nest, which presumably still contained the three eggs:

Just a day later, the birds had abandoned the nest. I don’t know if the eggs were still in the nest. The tree fern is way too high for me to go up and take a look:

By yesterday, the 5th of October, the new fern frond had pushed the nest to the top of the canopy:

Never mind little butcherbirds, there’s still plenty of time left this season to try again. Or next year perhaps.

Perhaps they’ll have learned something about real estate from this experience. Grey Butcherbirds live for around 20 years, so there’s plenty of time for learning!

Common name: Grey Butcherbird
Scientific name: Cracticus torquatus
Approximate length: 30 cm
Date spotted: 18 September to 5 October 2025 (spring)
Location: Allambie Heights, NSW, Australia

#australia #birds #birdwatching #GreyButcherbird #nests #SydneyBirds

🏺🦅 Spanish researchers surveyed 12 abandoned bearded vulture #nests and discovered 226 human #artifacts, some nearly 700 years old, preserved alongside animal remains. The #vultures' cliff cave nests acted as natural #museums, protecting items like medieval #shoes, crossbow bolts, and woven baskets through centuries. #Carbon dating revealed artifacts spanning from the #MiddleAges to 150 years ago.

1️⃣ https://www.popsci.com/environment/bearded-vulture-nest-archaeology/

2️⃣ Learn more on #TKSST: Vultures, the acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem • https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/vultures-conservation-ecology-ted-ed

#archaeology #spain #conservation #birds #history #ecology #science

Why a #mite of the #Parasitidae (#Mesostigmata), apparently genus #Parasitellus, seemingly attacks moth #Pyrausta #despicata (Crambidae). Parasitellus develops in #bumblebee #nests and uses them for dispersal (#phoresy) to other nests, thus they leave their hosts on blossoms and wait for new hosts to be carried to new nests. The moth was detected by the mite as a #nonsuitable #phoretic #host.

© #StefanFWirth #Berlin 2025

Visit my new YouTube Video:
https://youtu.be/gRAT7CIKWTk?si=hb2LC19Fmf1URVl6

Photos
©S.F. Wirth

#Socialinsect #nests are #ecosystems with a #diversity of #organisms.
In #leafcutterant #Atta #texana nests, mite #Histiostoma #bakeri reduces harmful #fungi in detritus chambers (S.F. Wirth & J.C. Moser 2008).
A. Panchal et al. (2025) found #termite #Odontotermes #obesus to reduce harmful fungi from its food #funguscultivar using fungicides of #bacteria.

©#StefanFWirth

Ref
(2008)
Proceed. 6th EURAAC

(2025)
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adr2713

pic
O. obesus, Nikhil More, 2020,
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Dusky-footed Woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) build large, conical nests up to 8 feet tall in trees, on the ground, or on bluffs. Made of sticks, bark, and plant material, the nests can house multiple generations and include rooms for food storage, resting, nurseries, and protection.

#woodrats #nests #nature #wildlife #california