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Flycatcher and so are Flycatcher-Shrike, they were such tiny birds and with the nest way up at the canopy level, hardly any chance of being detected by us, human. Anyway I've got wind of the nest. The chicks, by the time I saw them, two of them in very good shape. The feathers were well formed. Judging from the advance stage, fledging was a matter of days. Perhaps tomorrow! So this first day of my sighting I would do enough pictures for record. Tuesday Here is the father, doing some sort of urging
Feeding was rather frequent with both parent bringing in food. Bottom picture was the father coming back again. While the mother had not unload her supply.
Bottom picture - Before the big day of the chicks leaving the nest, here is the chance for a family portrait
Now the father doing his turn of feeding. One good point, both chicks were developing consistently. So could not make out the situation of a dominant chick and a weaker one.
I suppose this one was the better formed chicks or was it the one showing readiness to leave the nest. Anyway the father looked on.
That was my first day of watching, plenty of exercise giving tips that fledging was imminent Wednesday True to my judgment, early the next morning by sunrise by 8.30am, I was at the nest site. News has got out and a couple of photographers were there before me. My first pictures, out of focus, sorry, showed the mother and the remaining chick. One chick has left! Dropped off from the nest or had fledged? No way of telling but nothing was on the ground. What will happen next? More feeding or stronger attempts to coax the 2nd chick?
Good sign! After the mother left, the lone chick was busy doing warming up exercises.
And more good sign - the father was back and feeding. I was not sure about the situation of dominant chick and the weaker one. With 2 rounds of feeding seen, confirmed that the 2nd chick would not be abandoned.
Again the mother standing watch and the chick continued with its regime of excercising.
I was attracted by calls and looking over head I got tis picture of the chick that fledged earlier this morning. Confirmed that all was well with the nest and fledging.
Both the parents were never far away from the old nest and the lone chick. A Myna and then a Starling came quite close and stayed at other branches in the vicinity of the nest. I could not keeping tracking the fledged chick, I could see both parent were busy chasing intruders away.
Though a short assignment of only 2 days. But did get me a new story and most important, with this species of bird not so commonly seen. Most of all, an opportunity to see them nesting in the park. In other times, I had seen the birds rather often within this couple of months. |
