"The Tale of Two Willy Wagtails"

This is the house that we live in

This is the garden at the back of the house that we live in

These are the dogs that play in the garden at the back of the house that we live in

Here are the Ficus Topiary pots just outside the back door in the garden at the back of the house that we live in

Here is the "Wiggy Wagtail" (as called by our daughter) Willy Wagtail who is building a nest in the Ficus Topiary pots just outside the back door in the garden at the back of the house that we live in

...and building....

...and building.....

...and building for three days.

Here is the nest so delicately woven with twigs and spiders web that was built by the Willy Wagtails in the Ficus Topiary pots just outside the back door of the house that we live in

Here are three eggs in the Willy Wagtails nest in the Ficus Topiary pots just outside the back door of the house that we live in

Here is the father Willy Wagtail patroling the garden at the back of the house that we live in

....and here....

....and here....

...and HERE is the very ANGRY mother Willy Wagtail who swoops and pecks the dogs....

....as they try to go outside the backdoor to play in the garden at the back of the house that we live in (you can just see the back of Jaspers ear on the right before he heads out the doggy door to someone waiting)

....and here...

 

....and here....

Here is Jasper who is NOT afraid of the Willy Wagtail who swoops and pecks him as he plays in the garden at the back of the house that we live in (he just stood there and stared her out!)

....and here....

BUT....here is Little Marley....ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED!!! of the Willy Wagtail who swoops and pecks him as he tries to go outside to play in the garden at the back of the house that we live in

....and this is Marley who jumped the 7ft high metal fence (we still don't know how) and ran across the busy street in peak hour traffic unharmed (amazingly), who followed Mummy to the gym at the college and got lost for four hours as he sniffed and searched for her until she got a phone call from two lovely students to say they had found a very shivering frightened little Cavalier and kindly looked after him afraid he would be hit by a car until Mummy came to fetch him after she finished galavanting all over town at the gym....at the hairdresser...at the school and then home to find one little dog missing and another - Jasper - besides himself yapping and whining trying to tell Mummy that Marley was missing and had jumped the fence in fear of the Willy Wagtail who swoops and pecks him as he plays in the garden at the back of the house that we live in...Phew!

Here is the Ficus Topiary pot which holds the nest with the three eggs being moved very slowly every 30 minutes to the front garden away from the back of the house that we live in...

...and here...

...and here...

Here is the Mother Willy Wag Tail guarding her nest as we slowly move her out to the front of the house that we live in...

...and here she is checking her eggs to make sure they are still in tact...

...and here is the Mother Willy Wagtail nestling in for the night after tyrading around to make sure her eggs were okay...

So now here are the dogs who play in the garden at the back of the house that we live in. Marley still too unsure to venture outside on his own needs Mummy to walk him onto the lawn - big baby!

Fingers crossed that father Willy Wagtail doesn't come back to peck at the dogs that play in the garden at the back of the house that we live in!!!

- Willy Wag Tails have the most beautiful bird song and we all in the family have felt so blessed that they chose our tree to build their nest. It's been such an interesting lesson for the children to observe their behaviour, their instinct, their protectiveness.

The father Willy Wagtail patrols the front yard and attacks the other birds who come to bathe in our bird bath....even the big black crows.

Yesterday we even saw them attack a blue heron in the back yard.

We were very worried about moving their nest in case the mother bird rejected her eggs. When we first shifted it the mother bird couldn't reorient herself to find the nest and she kept hovering over where the pot used to be. Both birds went bezerk!!! They swooped Daddy as he tried to shift the pot until he had to wear a welding mask and safety helmet to protect his head.

Slowly, slowly...the mother bird has reoriented herself to find the nest.

"What's all the fuss about?"

"I think those birds are funny!"

"But I DON'T!!! So Let me in."

....stay tuned for some baby bird photos to come hopefully....