just babies

They were very cute, won MrJ over as he didn't want them nesting on our verandah at first, but I promised I would tidy up after them, so I put a shovel full of sand under their nest and replaced it every now and then, kept most of the manure in check. He really enjoyed the second lot and got to see them fledge, and is now looking forward to future nestings.

It is amazing the Wagtails nested on those handle bars when you have a cat around, must have decided it wasn't a threat to them, Betty.

Oh no, Jennywren, the cats are a very real threat to anything with fur or feathers. They were feral kittens from a big feral mother that either had the litter here or bought them over from the forest. I caught two and confined them to a roofed dog yard till I tamed them, but unfortunately the others disappeared. They are terrific hunters, we'd always see them on the roof of buildings here, or up the callistemons. They got rid of the sparrow plague we had, they naturally keep mouse numbers down(it's a grain growing area), and it's a foolhardy possum that thinks this garden is its home. They didn't find that nest though, so the parents probably lured or chased them away. The New Holland honeyeaters and many other birds frequent the garden, if they kill any birds it's usually bigger, maybe slower ones.

don't know why i said willie wagtail....yes of course they are new holland honey eaters. guess i was distracted by the willie that was dive bombing a magpie lark in the front yard as i was writing the post.

swallows are very cute too.

Sounds like they were very lucky then, Betty. It willbe interesting to see if they nest there again.



Yep....I do that too, Tessa.

Darn, I deleted a reply. How annoying is that?

The Willie Wagtails nested there two years that I know of but didn't hatch the first lot of eggs, then when the next lot did hatch and survive, when they left the nest it fell apart. I will check and see if they are re-building it.

Easy to get distracted, Tessa, then your brain types what your eyes are seeing.

I typed what I am thinking