Video shows family of birds nesting in Leeds traffic light as chicks hatch during Storm Dennis

Eagle eyed nature lovers spotted the nest round the corner from Leeds University

A family of thrush have made their home in an unusual place causing a bit of a stir with those that have spotted them.

Rather than nesting in a hedgerow, bird box or tree, the family of six which includes four young chicks are nestled in front of an amber traffic light in Leeds.

Paul Wheatley, on Twitter as @LeedsBirder told LeedsLive he heard about the birds via social media.

He said: "I heard about their unusual nest, so I popped out on my lunch break and got some footage of them.

"The nest is in front of the amber light and when the lights change you can see the parent birds darting to and from the nest to feed their four young. Apparently it's not an uncommon place for them to nest and this pair have been spotted in other traffic lights around the city previously."

He added that it's quite unusual for Mistle thrush to have young so early in the year - the chicks have been born a month earlier than what's deemed normal.

When he tweeted the video out he said: "Early Mistle thrush nest on a traffic light in Leeds with 4 chicks that hatched during Storm Dennis. Stormcock indeed.

"But they weren’t sufficiently badass to nest in front of the red light."

S Wyman who Tweets as @humulushead also shared some images of the nest - with one image showing the chicks hungrily asking to be fed by one of the parent.

Source

The tweet smell of birds nests: Scientists find birds feather their homes with the butts of cigarettes

· Street-wise city birds are keeping their nests warm and pest-free by lining them with cigarette butts

· Nicotine and other chemicals in discarded filters act as a natural pesticide that repels parasitic mites

· The butts also provide useful nest insulation

· Study in Mexico City found average nest contained 10 butts

They may have been proven to cause cancer and smell out a home, yet for our feathered friends, the cigarette butts are a luxury item.

A team of ecologists have found birds are stuffing the ends of cigs into the lining of their nests - and it's not because they fancy a quick puff.

In fact, far from being unnatural, the scientists believe the smokes are simply the latest way in which birds drive away parasites.

Birds have long been known to line their nests with vegetation rich in compounds that keep parasites at bay. 

Birds species in the urban jungle have adapted the same behaviour to harness the repellent properties of tobacco.

The chemicals in tobacco leaves are known to repel arthropods such as parasitic mites.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2493657/The-tweet-smell-birds-nests-Scientists-birds-feather-homes-butts-cigarettes.html#ixzz2kMYlYBPk

Bird makes home, lays eggs on car’s windshield wiper

Reddit user gorbok posted a photo his friend Trevor Maltby took upon returning to his car after leaving it at the Cairns International Airport in Australia for six days while away on business. The photo, taken on Feb. 19, features a small bird, a nest and tiny eggs, all perilously perched atop the windshield wiper blade of an Audi hatchback. 

Maltby told us about the discovery. "At first I thought it was just trying to 'blend in,' then I noticed it looked like it was trying to make a nest. As I got closer it appeared it was not about to fly away. I called over a colleague who had just arrived on the same flight and got him to come have a look. ... I took a picture of it sitting there, then we both tried to give it a bit of a hurry up—we could basically pet it if we wanted too— and my colleague put his hand right up to it's face, and that's when it raised its wings and exposed those eggs." 

Maltby spent an hour on the phone with wildlife officials. They confirmed that the bird was a native Peaceful Dove. "They are known for nesting in awkward places," Maltby said. He was told he could either ask somebody to come down and "relocate the nest" or he could leave the car there and wait for the eggs to hatch. 

Being the good guy that he is, Maltby offered to leave his car and got a ride home. "The next day I got a call from the airport to say that the wildlife officials had come and removed the nest as its location was deemed to be far from ideal, and that I could come and collect my car. The eggs have been taken to an incubator and the mother was unable to be caught and taken with them, though they figured she would probably lay again in the very near future." 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/bird-makes-home-lays-eggs-car-windshield-wiper-022720717.html

Gallery: A tree house modeled after a bird's nest

Jerry Tate Architects designed this woven tree house to look like a bird's nest. The London-based firm aims to "design buildings that bring architecture and nature together." And that's just what this cute getaway spot is all about.

Students worked alongside the architects to complete this project as part of the annual Dartmoor Arts Project. Instead of having to climb a steep ladder, there's a sloping walkway that leads to a pod with circular seating. Jerry Tate explains: "The form was inspired by a weaver bird's nest, which looks dramatic but is safe and secure."

Pictures here:  http://dvice.com/archives/2012/11/tree-house.php