Our new babies are no longer in the nest. I don’t know what has happened to them. They were to young to fly away.
I guess something ate them……….
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- Chicks in paradise (slowvelder.wordpress.com)
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Tag Archives: babies
Leaving home….
This weekend I watched the paradise fly catchers nest like a hawk. I knew they would be taking that final step and would be leaving the nest. On Saturday morning one of the three had stepped out onto the branch holding the nest and another was balanced on the rim of the nest. Baby number three was still determined to sleep in.
I had to go out for the morning and by the time I got home one of the three had flown off. The last two chicks had climbed quite some way up the branch.
They stayed in this position overnight and by mid morning when I checked, the second baby had flown off. I was determined not to miss the last one leaving so I poured myself something to drink and settled in for a long wait. While the babies are attempting to make their break the parents are very vigilant and chase away any other birds that come near the tree. They even dive bombed me quite a few times if I got too near. They also make a racket – shouting their alarm calls constantly.
Every few minutes the baby would stretch out its wings and flutter them a bit but would then fold them back up again and preen. And then – after watching for just over an hour – it just hopped off the branch and flew to a nearby branch. It flew like it knew exactly what to do. It wasn’t even an effort. Awesome.
I had heard from Mr A that once they leave the nest you never see them again, but this bunch seems to be sticking around for a while. I heard some cheeping and saw that the other babies were spread out around the tree and a neighbouring tree and they were still cheeping there this morning. The parents are also still feeding them.
It’s been so great following them – right from the parents nest-building through to their first flight.
To follow the journey you can click on the following posts:
Now I wonder if the parents will lay more eggs?
Chicks in paradise
Do you remember our paradise fly catchers that I told you about a few weeks ago? If not, you can click here to read the post.
They have been sitting on the eggs for just over two weeks and this weekend our new babies were born. Because their nest is right next to our veranda I was able to sneak up and take a few pictures really close. (Best I could do with my point and click. One day when I’m big I am going to get a fancy-shmancy camera)
On Saturday night we had a horrific cloud burst and 120mm of rain fell in just under 45 minutes. I was certain these babies would not survive as the branch their nest is on is very exposed and not sheltered by other branches and leaves. On Sunday morning when I went to look at the nest no chicks were to be seen. I was so sad and reported this news to the Bean when I collected her at lunch time. She was also upset but went to check anyway when we got home. Lo and behold – our little babies were there – peeping over the rim of the nest again.
Baby boom
Spring is a time for renewal and exploration of the world around us. Although we are still waiting for our rains to start, trees and plants are greening up after their long winter rest, and young baby animals bound about everywhere. Could there be a better time to be alive? The whole world is happy around us. I met this new baby yesterday.
The lesser galago, also called a bush baby, is one of the smallest primates, about the size of a squirrel. Despite its size, it is exceptionally vocal, producing loud, shrill cries surprisingly like those of a human baby. It is both arboreal and nocturnal in it’s habits.
Bush babies have large, round eyes for good night vision and batlike ears that enable them to track insect prey in the dark. Fast, agile and accurate, they catch some insects on the ground and snatch others from the air. As they jump through thorn-bush or thick growth, they fold their delicate ears flat against their heads to protect them. They fold them during rest, too.
The bush baby travels through the trees in literal leaps and bounds. In mid-flight it tucks its arms and legs close to the body and as it lands, brings them forward, grabbing a branch with its hands and feet. In a series of leaps a bush baby can easily cover 10 yards in seconds. The tail (longer than the length of the head and body) powers the leaps made to catch prey, escape from enemies or get around obstacles. The bush baby’s other methods of locomotion are kangaroo-like hops or simply walking or running on four legs.
This species has at least 18 different calls. A Bush baby‘s eyes cannot move in their sockets, and so the head is continually active when searching for prey. They have highly developed hearing, and their ears have a complex series of folds, which enables them to position the source of a sound very accurately. Hearing is acute enough to hear the gliding of an owl. Their movements are extremely quick, and they can catch grasshoppers and moths in the air with their front feet, while holding onto a tree with their hind legs. Also nocturnal, the Lesser Bush baby is very particular about its appearance, grooming conscientiously before embarking on a night’s foraging expedition. Don’t you think they look decidedly like these?
I also have to share the following picture with you which I found on google while searching for “bush” baby pictures. He somehow just doesn’t have the same cute appeal, does he?
