Diamond Firetail Nesting Question?

[snap_point]

Hey All,
I have a half hanging basket attached to the wall of my aviary, its full of grass and I use it to put fresh grass / seeding grass into.

Tonight I was watching my pair of Diamonds, they both around dusk went to the basket the male was singing to the female and she was responding with short burst of calling, then they both started to burrow down into the basket, one soon appearing out the side and started weaving the grass to make an entrance / exit, they were then kicking around in there for a while and they now seem to have settled for the night.

My question is -
Is this the start of them making a nest?

Should I keep adding grass to the basket as there is not much of a roof for their nest at the moment?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[Matt]

I haven't got any experience with Diamonds with regard to how touchy they are with nest disturbance but I wouldn't add any more grass to the basket. I would give them all the nesting grass they want in another location and let them finish things off themselves.

[desertbirds]

Daimonds will often build a nest or two before they settle down and get it right if they are young birds,as long as you have some dried brush hanging up in a sheltered area.Give them plenty of nesting material as they build a bulky nest.I use couch grass runners,fine swamp grass and they also use a few feathers and whatever seeding grass your feeding them.I`ve had pairs build a roosting nest or just a basic platform to camp on at night.I`ve also found they generally nest up high and prefer dried shrubs more so than living ones.Ive also had several cocks that will start building again when the young are not yet fledged,on fledging the young ones will get called back to one of the nests.A handy trait when the temp drops overnight.Long couch grass runners also seem a bit of a favourite when they are courting a hen, as is a perch with some flex in it,they love to bounce up and down and put on a bit of a show.Hope that helps,good luck.

[snap_point]

I think it was just a roosting nest as it was trashed this morning, but I will give some more grass today and see what they do with it. Will also be popping in some wire cylinders hung from the roof of the aviary for them to hopefully build in.
Fingers crossed.

[Jayburd]

remember because diamonds build nests sometimes about 90cm high and 4o0cm around the middle I saw one of those measurments at dubbo zoo

[desertbirds]

I haven`t had any luck with wire or cane baskets with Diamonds.Worth a try but in my aviary they have always built in dried shrub or the Mandarine tree in there.if there keen they will find a spot.Heaps of nesting material and you should be right.