This bird's nest was made in my patio's rose vine. The vine goes up the length of my house so it's large enough for the birds to assume it's a great spot. The wall with the vine also has a balcony and I thought it would be an easy peasy job to lean over the sides and get a shot. Boy, was I wrong. Ultimately I had to perform some acrobatics, stand on the railings using the perpendicular wall of the house for balance. My neighbour probably thinks I'm suicidal but he thinks I'm mad anyway *shrug*
The parents were very protective but they would fly away the second they saw me so getting both parent and child in the frame was a miracle. I thought the kids would starve because I kept interrupting their meals.
I am not happy with the technicals because the spot, even in bright daylight, was too dark for me. So I had to compromise on the shutterspeed to get some light. Not the best idea when you've got a moving target and you;re balancing with your head but there was nothing I could do :(
This story doesn't have a happy ending I'm afraid. I don't know what happened but one day I woke up and realized the nest was empty. The parents were still hanging about with dead moths so I'm pretty sure the kids didn't fly off with their help. Oh, well.
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Great viewpoint here. Are you privy to this scene on an ongoing basis? All those hungry little beaks! I wonder if she'll stuff the moth into one or if she'll dismember it? Or does she have to eat it herself and regurgitate?
I haven't had the opportunity to really see them in action because the parents would not feed the children when I had a clear view. They would go in and go out really swiftly and I assumed they were regurgitating but they always took solid moths with them so maybe they crushed them intead? I think this is red vented bulbul so I'll see if that could tell something about their eating habits.
Oh how sad. :-( I wonder what the poor parents do when they come back to find the babies are gone. Cruel world sometimes, huh? Great shot, and I love the whole acrobatics/neighbor thinks your nuts part of the story, though!
Great viewpoint here. Are you privy to this scene on an ongoing basis? All those hungry little beaks! I wonder if she'll stuff the moth into one or if she'll dismember it? Or does she have to eat it herself and regurgitate?
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