Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Guests at home - Part III (conclusion)


Well, I am back with the updates of bird family. Last weekend when I returned home I saw that the eggs had hatched and the chicks were out. The mummy bird was not around most of the time as it was busy searching for food to feed it's little ones. It used to visit it's chicks once in a while to feed them. I peeped among bushes and managed to take a snap when the mummy was not around.


The chicks were hairy and the feathers have yet grown. They were in their little cozy home all the time waiting for their mummy. Monday morning, I left to Bangalore to resume work and on Tuesday morning my dad found that the the chicks were not in their nest. He started hunting for them and found both of them on ground, exploring the surroundings. He put them in a cozy basket filled with dried grass.


The chicks appear to have grown slightly. He kept the basket on the top of our car near the nest so that the mummy bird finds it. After some time the mummy came and on seeing the empty nest started hunting for it's chicks. It soon found them in the basket. By this time the ever inquisitive chicks were out of the basket and had started exploring the car's top. Seen below, the mummy and the chicks. The mummy must have let out a sign of relief after seeing it's young ones, phew!!


After some time my dad transferred them onto ground near the shrub as he wanted to take the car out. That was the last he saw of the chicks. After some time when he returned, he did not see the them where. Not sure what happened to them. They could not fly as their feathers had not grown completely. It seems the mummy bird came couple of times later hunting for chicks. We all felt it's grief. I wish those chicks are out there somewhere, safe and I hope the mummy finds them. Thus, the Guests at home series concludes here.

That is all for now. God bless the chicks and everyone!!!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

poori,

mother birds usually kill baby birds which are touched by humans :(. Even i had tried saving one sparrow baby like this and later my native village guy told me that they would be dead.

Smiles,
Rupa

Poornima Prabhu said...

yeah rupa.. heard about this fact... the chicks could not fly, they used to hop and walk around. I don't think the mother killed them as it came couple of times later looking for them. I am actually suspecting the cat that is roaming around the neighborhood these days...

- poori

Anonymous said...

Poornima: It does appear its the cat, particularly if the chick are not way up in the tree.
Sad! And this is nature, I guess

Hope you have other more happier encounters!

THank you for sharing this with us.
Arun

Poornima Prabhu said...

@Arun: yeah.. hope to see more birds building nests as we have good growth of plants at our home now... and yes we will be careful about Mr Cat from now on..

I still wish those chicks are safe somewhere... :)

- Poornima

Sudha Naik said...

even me wish the chicks are safe .. they r very small and cute naa ..

Sudha Naik said...

even me wish the chicks are safe .. they r very small and cute naa ..

Poornima Prabhu said...

@Sudha: Thanks for visiting my blog :). The chicks were indeed cute. Where are you from Sudha? What do you do?

Shanthi Krishnakumar said...

Cho chweet.
http://shanthisthaligai.blogspot.com/

Sudha Naik said...

me from kerala .. and where r u from ??