Country diary: Persistence and confusion this is how magpies build their nest | Nic Wilson

"But though the arrival of spring advances each year at a faster pace than any other season, the magpies' calendar is not out of kilter. Like their corvid cousins the rooks and ravens, they usually start nesting in winter, occasionally as early as December. Now, a fortnight in, they're shoring up the bowl-shaped platform in a fork between three upper branches. The movement of their swinging tails as they manoeuvre twigs into place looks graceful, even balletic."

"But when I venture out for a closer look, it seems their building technique owes more to persistence than proficiency. Whereas other birds might choose fine, pliable sprigs and roots to weave into a base, this pair have opted for finger-thick hazel sticks, which they are attempting to hammer into submission with their bills, losing several over the edge of the nest in the process to their apparent confusion. It turns out to be more karate than ballet."

Magpies commonly begin nest-building in winter, sometimes as early as December, constructing bowl-shaped platforms in forks of upper branches. Observed magpie pairs use thick hazel sticks and persistently force them into place, often losing sticks over the edge, indicating persistence rather than finesse. Other corvids like rooks and ravens share similar timing. Some pairs construct protective covers over nests using ash twigs to defend against predators. Magpies tolerate neighboring nests until intrusion provokes rooftop chases with loud chack-chacking and posturing. Many builders pause before egg-laying; understorey species such as long-tailed tits create intricate domes of moss and lichen.

Read at www.theguardian.com