Marianne Faithful's 'Little Bird' is on earworm after this.

Who says humans are the best inventors.

This little bird, the sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) and his mates build these huge communal nests from sticks and grass which last for decades and are homes to multiple families.

They live in the Kalahari desert, sweltering sun by day, freezing at night but the thick thatch protects the birds from both. Usually they would build the nests in trees and trees aren't exactly abundant in the Kalahari so the birds use the telegraph poles and as you look into the distance you can see the nests down  a straight line of poles. Do the clicky thing as it looks great as wallpaper.

Food is not abundant either so the birds don't breed until they are 2 years old and living communally means there are always workers to repair any disintegration of the nests. Utilizing the telegraph poles means the birds have expanded their living range where before they were confined to wherever they could find suitable trees.

You can find more of Dillon Marsh's images of these fantastic nests here and also have a look at his black and white images of shipwrecks off the Cape.