Tree house

Last Sunday I moved a Japanese red pine in preparation for decandling.

Japanese Red pine (root over rock style) before decandling.

When I went back with the shears to start work a female fairy wren started scolding. She was soon joined by her mate and both proceeded to give me the evil eye and a good telling off.

male superb fairywren sitting in the waterswept callistemon.
female Superb fairywren

I soon found the reason for their agitation.

A nest among the branches
nest entry

Wrens build a ball shaped nest with a side entry. Usually only a metre or so from the ground among dense vegetation. This red pine was obviously just right for this year’s home.

It was interesting to note that the parents had been able to find the nest when I’d moved the tree about 10 metres from the growing area to where I was working. After decandling the tree I moved it back to the bench and the parents have continued to feed the chick(s?)

These guys are quite welcome in my garden. The males provide a welcome splash of colour for most of the year and they consume quite a lot of insects.

Don’t forget that new Shibui Bonsai catalogues are now available – Trident maples, Root over Rock trident maples and Chinese elms. Email neil@shibuibonsai.com.au if you’d like to see what we have available this year. Younger starter trees for bonsai are always available – many different species.

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