The Next Nest

The first clutch of babies fledged on Monday, and now on Saturday it appears that the mama bird will finish the nest for the next set today. Starting with a fresh, clean house, both parents visited several times before the mama bird started bringing in little sticks, leaves, and blades of grass. She drops them in and then spins around furiously inside, smashing things down and forming the "cup" in which the eggs will be laid and the babies will hatch and grow. She even works as night falls, as evidenced by the night vision shot below. Here are a few shots of the process.