Serious birdwatchers have field guide books and binoculars, maybe even bird whistles,
but my birdwatching only extends to those who land on my lanai and the one finch whose loud chirping I look forward to every afternoon. But, a book review about Avian Architecture caught my interest in the New York Times today.
An explanation of why and how birds build nests – the book is not one I would actually read – but the author’s scientific explanation of Australian bowerbirds’ nests gave a good model to emulate…
{The males} build structures of grass or sticks on the ground…decorate them with leaves, stones or other objects…in shades of blue…{with} bits of plastic or ribbon…courtship displays, designed to signal to females that the builder would make a good mate.
And once the female makes her choice and mates with the male of her liking, what happens?
She goes off and makes a proper little cup nest to raise the young.
The No Charge Book Bunch 