The Clay House at the Foot of the Mountain

There are builders in the reserve who need no tools. José Marín knows them well. This morning, while making his rounds through the pie de monte sector, he stopped before a slender tree — and there it was: pressed against the trunk, round and solid as a fired clay pot, the nest of a merchorita. The circular opening at the center gave it away immediately — that is the signature of the hornero, the Furnarius that the old-timers of the countryside call by that name for its trade as a potter. The nest was not alone. All around it there was movement, wings and short flights darting back and forth — a sure sign that the house is occupied. With the thick vegetation closing in on every side and the morning light filtering down through the canopy, José raised his camera and made the record. The hornero builds with mud, plant fibers, and saliva, raising a structure that can weigh up to three kilograms — a work of craft that many larger birds later claim as shelter. This one, on the pie de monte of Fundación Loros, appears to be very much in use.