It seems as though there has been an abundance of birds around me since day one of my arrival in South Africa. Granted, many of the birds are simply wrens, sparrows, doves and pigeons. But some of the birds have been quite colorful and interesting (e.g., African hoopoe, blue (a beautiful turquoise) waxbill, kingfisher, and the magpie shrike with the unbelievably long tail).
The colorful AND interesting male Southern masked weaver bird shows up a lot in my village and around in my limited travels. The first time I saw its tightly woven nest, I became a fan. Even now after having seen so many of them — literally hundreds — I still find them and their hanging nests to be fascinating.
The entry hole into the nest is on the bottom and is approximately 1-1.5 inches wide. The nests are built by the male birds which individually may build up to 25 nests in a season. The large number of nests is probably fitting as they have multiple female partners. The nests are typically grouped in clusters and are often located on the outer parts of the limbs. Perhaps to make it more difficult for snakes to reach? Just guessing!
