diff --git a/avian/frontend/apt.js b/avian/frontend/apt.js
index 63c83b4..5acf486 100644
--- a/avian/frontend/apt.js
+++ b/avian/frontend/apt.js
@@ -413,7 +413,12 @@
   function renderCollage(items, animate) {
     collage.innerHTML = '';
     if (!items.length) {
-      collage.innerHTML = '<p class="empty">no birds heard in this window.</p>';
+      // No birds heard yet: show an empty nest where the collage would be, with
+      // the status line beneath it. The frame (shoot.py) overrides the .empty
+      // text for the e-ink panel; the nest illustration is shared by both.
+      collage.innerHTML = '<div class="empty-nest">' +
+        '<img class="nest-img" src="nest.webp" alt="an empty nest" decoding="async">' +
+        '<p class="empty">no birds heard in this window.</p></div>';
       return;
     }
     var W = collage.clientWidth, H = collage.clientHeight;
diff --git a/avian/frontend/nest.webp b/avian/frontend/nest.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..efc4c34
Binary files /dev/null and b/avian/frontend/nest.webp differ
diff --git a/avian/frontend/styles.css b/avian/frontend/styles.css
index 6071205..ae494fa 100644
--- a/avian/frontend/styles.css
+++ b/avian/frontend/styles.css
@@ -591,6 +591,18 @@
     text-transform: uppercase;
   }
 
+  /* No-birds state: an empty-nest illustration sits where the collage would be,
+     with the status line beneath it. Fills the collage box so the frame's
+     matting treats it like any other collage. */
+  .empty-nest {
+    height: 100%;
+    display: flex; flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center; justify-content: center;
+    gap: 28px;
+  }
+  .empty-nest .nest-img { width: 78%; max-width: 470px; height: auto; }
+  .empty-nest .empty { padding: 0; margin: 0; }
+
   /* Page header is now shared at .stage > .static-head - see top of CSS. */
   /* Stats grid: charts stack on the LEFT, text sections on the RIGHT.
      Each chart is a full-bleed card; each text section is a list with
diff --git a/frame/display.py b/frame/display.py
index 9a4cd99..a4e9b4d 100644
--- a/frame/display.py
+++ b/frame/display.py
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ def _centroid_x(img, paper):
 TITLE_H_FRAC, COLLAGE_FRAC, GAP_FRAC = 0.065, 0.66, 0.1
 
 
-def mat_and_center(img, mat, empty=False):
+def mat_and_center(img, mat):
     """Crop the title and collage, size each to a fraction of the A5 opening,
     stack with a gap, and centre on the panel."""
     img = img.convert("RGB")
@@ -204,22 +204,6 @@ def mat_and_center(img, mat, empty=False):
     tb = _region_bbox(img, paper, top, split[0]) if split else None
     cb = _region_bbox(img, paper, split[1], bot + 1) if split else None
     box_w, box_h = A5_W * (1 - mat), A5_H * (1 - mat)
-    # No birds yet: hold the title where a full collage would put it and float
-    # the one-line note where the birds would be, so a birdless frame reads like
-    # a full one with the collage removed, not a title card drifted to the middle.
-    if empty and tb and cb:
-        title = _scale_h(img.crop(tb), box_h * TITLE_H_FRAC)
-        note = _scale_w(img.crop(cb), box_w * 0.30)
-        gap = round(box_h * GAP_FRAC)
-        region = box_w * COLLAGE_FRAC  # stand in for a usual-size collage
-        cw = max(title.width, note.width)
-        comp = Image.new("RGB", (cw, round(title.height + gap + region)), paper)
-        comp.paste(title, ((cw - title.width) // 2, 0))
-        ny = title.height + gap + max(0, (round(region) - note.height) // 2)
-        comp.paste(note, ((cw - note.width) // 2, ny))
-        canvas = Image.new("RGB", (PANEL_W, PANEL_H), paper)
-        canvas.paste(comp, ((PANEL_W - comp.width) // 2, (PANEL_H - comp.height) // 2))
-        return canvas
     if not (tb and cb):
         return _place(img.crop(full), paper, mat)
     title = _scale_h(img.crop(tb), box_h * TITLE_H_FRAC)
@@ -367,7 +351,7 @@ def run(cfg, preview=None, force=False, use_signature=True, mat_box=False):
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"could not get image: {e}", file=sys.stderr)  # keep last panel image
         return
-    img = mat_and_center(img, cfg["mat"], empty=(species == []))
+    img = mat_and_center(img, cfg["mat"])
     if preview:
         out = quantize_spectra6(img)
         if mat_box:
diff --git a/frame/shoot.py b/frame/shoot.py
index 6785504..3a76138 100644
--- a/frame/shoot.py
+++ b/frame/shoot.py
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ def shoot(url, out, *, title=None, subtitle=None, vw=600, vh=800, dsf=2,
           mat=0.04, collage_vh=52, cluster_xbias=1.0, cluster_ybias=1.2,
           count_exp=0.4, cluster_pad=1, small_floor=0.04, window_hours=None,
           timeout_ms=45000, user=None, password=None, species=None, cutout_base=None,
-          cutout_local=None):
+          cutout_local=None, empty_text="listening for birds…"):
     pad_side, pad_top, pad_bottom = int(vw * mat), int(vh * mat * 0.92), int(vh * mat)
     auth = "Basic " + base64.b64encode(f"{user}:{password or ''}".encode()).decode() if user else None
 
@@ -206,6 +206,16 @@ def shoot(url, out, *, title=None, subtitle=None, vw=600, vh=800, dsf=2,
                         timeout=timeout_ms)
                 except PWTimeout:
                     print("some illustrations did not finish loading; capturing anyway", file=sys.stderr)
+            elif page.query_selector(".nest-img") is not None:
+                # Birdless empty state: wait for the nest illustration to load so
+                # the frame never captures a blank collage area.
+                try:
+                    page.wait_for_function(
+                        "() => { const n=document.querySelector('.nest-img');"
+                        " return n && n.complete && n.naturalWidth>0; }",
+                        timeout=timeout_ms)
+                except PWTimeout:
+                    print("nest illustration did not finish loading; capturing anyway", file=sys.stderr)
             if misses:
                 raise RuntimeError(f"apt.js tunables not found ({len(misses)}); refusing to ship a half-tuned frame")
 
@@ -213,10 +223,11 @@ def shoot(url, out, *, title=None, subtitle=None, vw=600, vh=800, dsf=2,
                 page.evaluate("t=>{const e=document.querySelector('.static-head .pre'); if(e)e.textContent=t;}", title)
             if subtitle is not None:
                 page.evaluate("s=>{const e=document.querySelector('.static-head h1'); if(e)e.textContent=s;}", subtitle)
-            # Soften the empty-state line for a fresh frame whose mic hasn't
-            # heard a bird yet, and darken it so it survives the e-ink dither and
-            # the matting step's ink detection (a no-op once there are birds).
-            page.evaluate("() => { const e = document.querySelector('.empty'); if (e) { e.textContent = 'listening for birds…'; e.style.color = '#555'; } }")
+            # Set the empty-state line for a birdless frame (the mic hasn't heard
+            # anything yet, or BirdWeather has no recent detections nearby) and
+            # darken it so it survives the e-ink dither and the matting step's ink
+            # detection (a no-op once there are birds).
+            page.evaluate("(t) => { const e = document.querySelector('.empty'); if (e) { e.textContent = t; e.style.color = '#555'; } }", empty_text)
             page.wait_for_timeout(250)
             # clip is CSS px; device_scale_factor scales the PNG to vw*dsf by vh*dsf = 1200x1600
             page.screenshot(path=out, clip={"x": 0, "y": 0, "width": vw, "height": vh})
@@ -241,7 +252,9 @@ def shoot_birdweather(out, species, *, title=None, subtitle=None, timeout_ms=450
     cutout_local = os.path.join(here, "..", "avian", "assets", "illustrations")
     # BirdWeather's flat 7-day counts need a steeper exponent for the same hero
     # hierarchy; the slightly smaller titles match the mic frame's optical weight.
-    for k, v in (("count_exp", 1.0), ("headline_px", 39), ("eyebrow_px", 17)):
+    # A birdless BirdWeather frame says "no recent detections nearby", not "listening".
+    for k, v in (("count_exp", 1.0), ("headline_px", 39), ("eyebrow_px", 17),
+                 ("empty_text", "no recent detections nearby")):
         look.setdefault(k, v)
     return shoot(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/", out,
                  title=title or "Avian Visitors", subtitle=subtitle or "Heard Today",