The title says it all in a variety of ways.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw one of our regular visitors, a spotted flycatcher, mooching around in the neighbours garden and flying / hunting off their pool patio rail.
I was glad to see him / her again, especially as lower neighbour cut down all the accursed fir trees blocking our seaward view - but in doing so, taking out the flycatchers favourite hunting perch (note we didn't see a single nest of any bird in the trees that were cut down).
The "neighbours" above finally got around to sorting their garden after they managed to evict the tenant who had done nothing to the house or garden in most of their stay - but at least the birds could use the overgrown bougainvillea as a nesting site. Unfortunately that has been butchered, so nesting sites are at a premium (only a whole mountain to go at really).
Anyway, yesterday I was checking the images on one of the security cameras and caught a flash of a bird going past - very closely.
I thought little of it until I saw the flycatcher sitting on one of our lamp posts (and another camera!) and put two and two together - so went and had another look at the film clip more closely. As you can just about see (above) the little devil is performing aerobatics for the camera - or, more exactly, to get IN the camera.
I went out and had a look, assuming there might be a nest around the aircon units, but nothing until I noticed a few bits of twig poking out above the camera lens. Intrigued I held my phone up to the back of the camera (wall-side) and could see there was something going on inside.
Well - imagine my pleasure at finding a nest with three eggs in it. Not only have we got a spotted flycatcher using us as a base, we have a fabulous flier performing stunts on-camera to get into their camera-box nest.
The view inside is very pretty as they have covered the camera top with small twigs and moss and set it up as a bijou home complete with eggs.
Now we have a 3 week incubation period, followed by another 3 weeks when the young are fed by the parents.
We just have to hope they can fly straight from the nest as puss will no doubt become aware of their presence.
My book says they are tolerant of humans, nest in open sided boxes if available (!) and make. a noise like a squeaky wheelbarrow. Sums them up perfectly.
Now all I have to do is install another camera to take pictures of the camera / nest. A never ending film loop!
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