western australia

A bird nest and Russell blots his copybook

@JudyEv (382147)

Rockingham, Australia

January 8, 2023 9:45pm CST

In the photo is a cute bird ornament and a bird’s nest which was found in a shrub in the garden. It is made of scraps of twine and grass. Can you see the pretty colours in it? It’s not the tidiest nest I’ve ever seen but no doubt it served its purpose. Russell blotted his copybook this morning when we walked him. He took off for the creek and ignored all our calls. Eventually he came back of his own accord but we might keep him on a lead tomorrow. I think tomorrow might be our last day of walking him and we don’t want him to go missing altogether.

19 people like this

20 responses

@shaggin (74987)

• United States

9 Jan 23

I’ve never seen a nest so messy. I wonder if it didn’t have time to finish it.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

Some birds do make messy nests but this one looks like it would be battling to hold eggs.

2 people like this

@BarBaraPrz (51823)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

9 Jan 23

@JudyEv It may have been blown about some.

1 person likes this

@BarBaraPrz (51823)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

9 Jan 23

Do they even give kids copybooks anymore? I vaguely remember dittoed* sheets in grade one but pen and ink wasn't introduced until the fifth grade, but they stopped that practice the year I entered grade 5. *spirit duplicatored

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@BarBaraPrz (51823)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

10 Jan 23

@JudyEv We tried.

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@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

I doubt they do give out copybooks. We called dittoed sheets Gestetnered but we didn't have them when I went to school. We had pen and ink for a while then were allowed fountain pens and finally biros

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@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jan 23

@BarBaraPrz Okay so they're not the same thing. So did you get high???

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@LadyDuck (502500)

• Italy

9 Jan 23

I find nests time by time and I am always in awe to admire the job of those little birds. Russel has not been a good boy as I understand.

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@LadyDuck (502500)

• Italy

9 Jan 23

@JudyEv Better not to take risks, he surely was happy to run for a while, as his owners do not walk him a lot.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

He ran off and wouldn't come back to us when we called him. Eventually he did but it is worrying to think he might run off and keep going.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

@LadyDuck It was pretty hot by the time we got back and I think he was pretty happy to go back in his pen.

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@Marilynda1225 (91116)

• United States

10 Jan 23

I'm always intrigued by birds nests and how they manage to build them. That one does look a bit on the messy side.

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@Marilynda1225 (91116)

• United States

11 Jan 23

@JudyEv Me too. It certainly doesn't look very sturdy

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@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 23

I'd be surprised if the eggs hadn't fallen through.

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@Ronrybs (21497)

• London, England

9 Jan 23

Russell and the great escape! Best to keep him close to you from now on, me thinks

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

I think tomorrow might be our last day to mind him. I want to keep him on an extendable leash but Vince reckons he'll be okay. If we don't leash him, then it will be up to Vince to catch him if he takes off again.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jan 23

@Ronrybs When we got there, he wasn't very well at all and we only went a few hundred metres and came home again. We rang the owner who was coming home tomorrow anyway so we won't need to go there again. I can't imagine what's wrong with him.

1 person likes this

@Ronrybs (21497)

• London, England

10 Jan 23

@JudyEv It'll keep him fit, chasing down a runaway dog!

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@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

9 Jan 23

What a cute find. I do see the blues in this one. How pretty. Wrens will nest in anything.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

I guess the eggs are very light so they wouldn't fall through.

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@CarolDM (203396)

• Nashville, Tennessee

9 Jan 23

@JudyEv Yes they are very light. But the nest needs to be compact to be secure enough to hold the babies as they hatch out.

1 person likes this

@allknowing (153530)

• India

10 Jan 23

I did not know you have been taking Russel for a walk without the lead.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jan 23

We've done it since the second day on our first stay there. He is usually okay.

1 person likes this

changjiangzhibin89

@changjiangzhibin89 (17240)

• China

9 Jan 23

It looks like the bird couldn't wait to incubate its eggs and rigged up the nest.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

It does look as though he was in a great hurry!

1 person likes this

@rebelann (117240)

• El Paso, Texas

9 Jan 23

I could never trust Roscoe like that, even in his own fenced in yard I have to be careful so now he is on a 100 foot lead when he is outside.

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@rebelann (117240)

• El Paso, Texas

10 Jan 23

True and whats worse is he digs under the fence to go visit.

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@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

That's a good solution I think. You don't want to risk him running off.

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@xFiacre (14789)

• Ireland

9 Jan 23

@JudyEv Looking after other people’s animals is a job fraught with possible disasters - but you knew that already!

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

And this was after we pulled a prickle out of his front paw!! Stupid dog.

@sol_cee (38669)

• Philippines

10 Jan 23

Oh wow, compared to the few nests I’ve seen before, this is beautiful

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

11 Jan 23

It's pretty scrappy but it seems the bird had an eye for colour.

@Dena91 (17039)

• United States

10 Jan 23

That is a colorful nest even if it isn't the neatest. I am sure it served its purpose. Best to keep Russell on a leash so he won't run away from you

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

10 Jan 23

He showed no signs of running off today. In fact, he didn't seem well at all. We've told the owner.

1 person likes this

@LindaOHio (222417)

• United States

9 Jan 23

I like the bird ornament. I've never heard the phrase "blotted his copybook"; but it makes sense. I would keep Russell on a leash as well.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

I wrote about the phrase once. You can catch up here if you want to:

Don't blot your copybook! / myLot

MyLotter @changjiangzhibin89 commented on me using the phrase ‘blotting my copybook’. Very few would remember ‘copybooks’. They were before my time too when I...

1 person likes this

@LindaOHio (222417)

• United States

10 Jan 23

@JudyEv Ahhh, yes. Thank you for the link.

1 person likes this

@Beestring (15372)

• Hong Kong

9 Jan 23

That's a cute bird ornament. Yes, better keep an eye on Russell when you walk him tomorrow.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

The last thing we want to do is to lose him.

1 person likes this

@jstory07 (148734)

• Roseburg, Oregon

9 Jan 23

You do not want to loss Russell.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

Although his owner doesn't like dogs, I don't think he'd like us to lose him.

@Tampa_girl7 (54715)

• United States

9 Jan 23

I do see the strands of color in the nest.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

The blue is from the same twine that I use to make my mats.

@DaddyEvil (174504)

• United States

9 Jan 23

Many birds build messy nests. As long as they hold together long enough for the chicks to fledge, then it's good enough.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

That's true. Compared to some fancy nests, this is very simple.

@wolfgirl569 (135791)

• Marion, Ohio

9 Jan 23

Glad he came back. I would use the leash too

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

The only command he knows is 'stop' but that doesn't always work, particularly if he gets a bit of distance between you and him.

1 person likes this

Lenore Plassman

@sallypup (69181)

• Centralia, Washington

9 Jan 23

Maybe you can find a longer than usual lead to put on Russell.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

We take one of the extendable leads with us and put it on him when we are nearly home. Otherwise he is inclined to ignore us.

@arunima25 (93194)

• Bangalore, India

9 Jan 23

That's a cute bird ornament. I don't see any strand of colours in the nest. I guess Russel is some dog and I presume it's the house sitting job again at your end. I have missed a lot here and feel totally clueless.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (382147)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jan 23

Hopefully you can see the red and blue in this image. Yes, we are house-sitting and walking Russell, a dog we've walked before. I'm sorry I lost you but I try not to repeat myself too much and to keep the texts not too long.