it means that the cycle of life is still in motion, and that my neighborhood is still a welcome place for the birds.
this year, the pied fantails seem to have only one fledgling... there's only one persistent young bird continuously badgering its parents. it's amusing how they would fly in circles around our house, taking off to the right and appearing a minute later from the left! a couple of years ago, there were 5 fledglings in hot pursuit of their dad/mom! it must be a never ending "feed me! feed me!" for these committed parents. but this young one has learned fast and has become quite an expert in snatching flies and other goodies from just above the grass. its graceful maneuvers are mesmerizing, with loud clicks of the wings (beak? i could never figure it out) with each turn. still, nothing beats begging for free food from mom/dad!
right on time for rambutan season, adri & i were delighted to see this pair of colasisis feasting voraciously on the first fruit to ripen! as with every year, these little parrots were oblivious to our staring eyes. little wonder, since their red and green blend perfectly with the rambutan tree. it's difficult to spot them once they land if not for their noisy chatter which gives them away! adri had a grand (and intense!) photo op last weekend with this pair. the immature bird playfully lives up to its name of philippine hanging parrot.
i suppose these fledglings will stay with their parents for a few more weeks after leaving the nest, learning to find food and avoid predators and interact with others of their kind: survival camp for the birds.
and the cycle continues...
(as usual, thanks to adri for the wonderful photos!)
Beautiful photos as usual! Naku! Me naman, I am saddled now with a baby as in BABY bird. A casualty of typhoon Juaning! I hope it survives. Mikeli and I have been dutifully feeding it and it has pooped on me three times already. Nice poop pods!
ReplyDeletethanks! will tell adri the photographer...
ReplyDeleteaaaw. what bird ixi?
exactly this time last year i was taking care of jack sparrow! (who had not so nice poop pods... not even pods... poop splashes!)
Looks like an ETS.... it's on facebook.... kaso lang,,, you don't have facebook.... come on over to the dark side.....
ReplyDelete(lurking in adri's FB...)
ReplyDeleteoooh it looks like an ETS just like jack (the) sparrow! his poop started out in sacs too! you're going to get a very makulit bird if you're successful! i fed jack cerelac and when he was learning how to fly he would wake me up for a feeding by nipping my toes, fingers, nose, or any other exposed part of my body.
good luck mama bird!
Whoa those are awesome! How far were you from the birds and what lens did he use?
ReplyDeletethanks!
ReplyDeletewe were about 5-6 meters from the birds. the pied fantails were on the stick we use to prop up our clothesline and we were on the terrace. for the colasisis we were right under them, under the tree. adri uses a 300 mm lens with a 1.4x converter. the fantails actually come much closer, but it's too close for adri's set up!
amazing Pied Fantail & Colasisi. I wish to see the latter in person. :)
ReplyDeleteLots of colasisi in the city Jackson! Aside from our neighborhood, there's also UP Diliman.
ReplyDeleteYou can also find them in favorite WBCP birding sites near Metro Manila: Makiling, Palaypalay and Subic.
Hope you get it on your lifelist soon! Happy birding!
Envious - not because you have fledglings but I have yet to see a Colasisi in our farm. :( If you plant them, they will come.
ReplyDeletegreat shot of the hanging parrot! :o)
ReplyDeletegaling galing galing! Love the colasisi.
ReplyDeletemaybe they are way up, up very high in the coconut trees carmela!
ReplyDeleteliterally hanging parrot, no?
ReplyDeletewill tell adri your friend. :-)
ReplyDeleteLeaving the nest... the title is sending me a different message. :)
ReplyDelete