Each monsoon, we get a pair of the Scaly-breasted munias visiting our house and explore the areas under the tiled roof, in their quest for a safe nest site for their young ones. They chose to nest on the wooden beam and wedge their nests between the beam and the tiles. For this, they spend enormous amount of time locating the grass strips and placing them carefully together to make a large ball of grass in which they raise tehir family. The birds choose the site carefully so that it does not allow access to the stray cats that roam the area. The birds are quite shy and move away on seeing us. This year, I finally managed to get a few pictures of the birds and their nest. It is sad that despite their efforts, the nests are abandoned half-way through when the weather turns dry. But they never give up. Once the wet spell commences, they are back at work. A few days ago (around 6.20 pm) as I sat on the terrace, a few meters from their nest, the pair came to the nest and sat on the wires and flew to roost inside the nest. I hope this year at least they will successfully raise a family.
Dr Santharam