It is time to count baya weaver nests

Once a common sight in countrysides and even semi-urban spaces, colonies of baya weaver nests are now hard to spot — a fact acknowledged by BNHS. With its breeding season under way, a tribute to the master architect and its much-studied courtship behaviour

In the far-flung outskirts of Chennai and in neighbouring districts, some palmyra trees would be sporting newly-sprung, intricately-woven, helmet-shaped nests, found in various stages of completion. Tall thorny shrubs teetering on the edge of waterbodies may also be bedecked with these accoutrements. They signal the fact that male baya weavers are hard at work, making a spirited and indefatigable effort again to raise a family. The baya weaver’s (ploceus philippinus) biological clock ticks to the monsoons, which is when it breeds and raises families. The male baya weaver can find it a drudgery to win over a female. To get the nod, he has to dazzle her with his “architectural” abilities. Tough luck for him if she brings Le Corbusier’s fastidiousnes to the assessment. A nest with “storeys” can suggest repeated slights and forced celibacy. “If the nest is not selected, he starts building another at the base of the first one — sometimes, there would be two to three or even four nests,” points out ornithologist V. Santharam.