Magpie nests in the carillon

On a windy Monday morning, it was found that the Erasmus University carillon couldn’t be played. Over the weekend, a magpie had built a nest among the bells in readiness for the nesting season.

From the square near the carillon, the nest is easy to see among the bottom layer of bells. The fact that the spot catches a lot of wind is no problem for the magpie. The bird is delighted with the location and is kept busy keeping other birds at a distance. On Thursday morning, the magpie was chasing the jackdaws away from the campus.

Nesting season

Unfortunately, the location of the nest means that the campus bells will not be ringing for some time. The nest may not be disturbed until the nesting season is over by mid-July. So, we will have to do without the cheerful sound of the bells at lunch time.

Carillonneur Mathieu Polak has never had his work stopped by a bird before: “It’s bizarre that the bird felt it was a good idea to build its nest there. The twigs are placed in such a way that some of the bells can’t make any sound.”

Polak always plays the carillon on Wednesdays, but that won’t be possible over the coming weeks. “If we do play the carillon, we’ll probably frighten the bird away. But who knows, maybe she will love it and lay more eggs.”