I Spy Chicks - March 2015

What a feast we had when a Mother bulbul built a nest on our neighbour's bamboo plant! We're reading about Birds from the Charlotte Mason's Parables from Nature - and what joy to find exactly two chicks and two adult Bulbuls in our backyard!

Two beautiful cute chicks in the nest!

Could not contain his curiousity anymore!

Yellow-vented Bulbul looking for food nearby.

Mother Bulbul feeding the chicks - it's very frequent feeding at first, like every 15-20 minutes, then the interval got longer as they grew. They're a busy and noisy lot.

Hungry nestling birds waiting for Mama!

Papa and Mama close by to make sure chicks were safe. They're very protective of the chicks. Once, a few robins and tailorbirds (yes, right in our backyard) came and there was a terrible fight. Soon the other birds got the message and left.

See the little nestlings looked nothing like the adult Bulbul.

A fledgling now, fell from its nest and hopped around looking for Mama. See its feathers not well-developed yet and some parts you could even see the flesh. To cut the story short, the other chick didn't survive - there're a few nights with heavy thunderstorm, and the sparse bamboo couldn't protect it. Sad. We tried to feed the surviving fledgling with bits of mulberries. But it made so much noise trying to get away. We're worried that the parents might abandon the chick too. Tried many ways to reunite it with the parents. Finally, it happened, they're all gone and it's peace and quiet again. Brandon was so sad, he would love to keep the chick. He has to learn to let go - the birds have gone to the Unknown Land, just like the story in the Parables from Nature. 

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