Bye Bye Birdie

 

Final view of birdie in the nest on 30 April 2022, 9.43am

The previous day, I thought that the birdie had flew off already as I saw an empty nest.  Then at night when I was about to water the plants, I saw the birdie on the floor!  I quickly picked up the poor thing. I hold it in my hands and took video of it -- to remember it.  Next, I put it back in the nest.  The nest was very out of shape and not in very good condition, that's why it had fallen down.  (Just like last year, the egg had dropped out from the nest.)

Yesterday the parents were chirping and flying about at my corridor, trying to tell me something.  At first it was both parents chirping and flying outside the corridor.  But when I was about to take video of it, one of the bird flew off.  So only 1 sunbird left in the corridor which I had recorded the loud chirp.  I did not understand what they wanted.  They were chirping loudly at the papaya plant, and then flew towards me, chirping loudly.  I did not know what they want.  Before that, birdie dropped on the ground again.  I picked it up and put back at the out of shape, spoilt nest.  I used my hand to pull the nest a bit, mending the nest for the birds.  Then I went back in to the house.  

The yellow sunbird perching at the papaya tree on 30 April 2022, 16.42pm

Today I walked in the garden, the birdie was gone.  Later in the late morning like 11am, a surprise door bell rang.  I opened the door and it was Richard!  He gave us a surprise visit!  

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Sunbirds

 

Watch the video on the Sunbird and hatchlings or baby birds, videos and photographs taken on February 2020

  Sunbirds are tropical nectar-sipping birds belonging to the family Nectariniidae. Some members of the family are called "spiderhunters", but all are considered to be "sunbirds".  Like unrelated hummingbirds, they feed primarily on nectar. However, most sunbirds have curved bills and perch to feed rather than hover like hummingbirds. 

 A sunbird dips its curved bill into a flower or else pierces its base and then sips nectar using a long, tubular tongue. Sunbirds also eat fruit, small insects, and spiders. While hummingbirds hover to feed, sunbirds land and perch on flower stalks. 

 Female sunbirds use spiderwebs, leaves, and twigs to build purse-shaped nests and suspend them from branches. However, spiderhunter nests are woven cups attached beneath large leaves. The female lays up to four eggs. Except for spiderhunters, only sunbird females incubate the eggs. Purple sunbird eggs hatch after 15 to 17 days. Male sunbirds help rear the nestlings. Sunbirds live between 16 and 22 years. 

 

Discovered the loose strands of fibres on the branches (25 March 2021), the sunbirds came to build nest again!

29 March 2021 the shape of the bird nest can roughly to be seen now

Nests are constructed by female sunbirds. They are compact, purse-shaped shelters suspended from tree branches with a single central entrance. A variety of fibers are used in nest construction, including bark, twigs, dried grass, leaves, vegetable down, plants stems, feathers, and snakeskin. It is tightly bound with spider’s silk, especially at the entrance and where it is attached to a branch.

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