A prickly pair.

Includes Species Profile.
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mattymeischke
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I believe that wild painted firetails nest on the spiky tops of spinifex, which is why they build a nest on a bulky base of sticks.
So maybe this bucket of nails I left in there overnight made them feel at home.....
prickly pair.JPG
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Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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finchbreeder
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Now are you going to be nice and leave it there? :whoa:
LML
LML
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Diane
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Location: Northern 'burbs of Adelaide

Jeez your painteds must have been weightlifting, look at the diameter of some of those sticks!
Not a bad idea though, clear bucket with sticks in it to see if it gets the painteds going. Certainly would keep the draughts off them and the chicks.
Diane
The difference between Genius and Stupidity is, Genius has it’s limits
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Craig52
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My thoughts exactly BB,there is noway painteds could lift sticks that big,are you sure the kids haven't been in there?. Craig
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mattymeischke
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Hi Craig,
I'm pretty sure it's paints, and I've seen them do this before.
Here's one with a finch for scale:
for scale with the owner-builder.JPG
Here's one from above; I must put some feathers out:
from above.JPG
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Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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Diane
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Location: Northern 'burbs of Adelaide
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Re 2nd pic...Never trying to carry that one surely? Even I know that "stick with the bristles on the end" is waaayyy too big for the bird to carry... :lol:
Diane
The difference between Genius and Stupidity is, Genius has it’s limits
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vettepilot_6
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Looks like he is working on picking up the paintbrush :lol: :lol:
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Jayburd
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Well I've heard they'll nest with any brush they can find.....
Julian

Birdwatcher and finch-keeper.

Feel free to check out my photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lewinsrail/
And my birding antics here: http://worthtwointhebushbirding.blogspot.com.au/
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mattymeischke
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Jayburd wrote:Well I've heard they'll nest with any brush they can find.....
:lol: @Jay
finchbreeder wrote:Now are you going to be nice and leave it there? :whoa:
LML
Yes, I did.
On Sunday I snapped this shot: the two eggs are barely visible in the bottom.
painted eggs.JPG
Yesterday they went nowhere near it, though, and I fear they have deserted.
Not surprising really, as they are right next to the front door and seed bins.
I try not to look at paint nests as they have deserted on me before, but this one was hard to avoid.
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Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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finchbreeder
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Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
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Don't give up just yet. Sometimes they play "us? nesting? no of course not!" When you go near, and slip back as soon as you leave.
LML
LML
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