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  1. #101
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    Seems to me the wee bird and its parents should be eating the ants...Maybe the first one was sick or weak and couldn't handle the time alone...

    Seems they should not have to rely on sticky tape for survival...

  2. #102
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    You need to set your camera lens for close-up shots ... or are you using the Telephoto Mode? These birds seem to have their seasons mixed up ... according to Gypsy's info above?

  3. #103
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke View Post
    I watched again the maiden flight of these two birds on December 17th, and saw them come back to the nest later that day, but they couldn't figure out how to get back in the nest so they slept on an adjacent clothes line.

    Little story and warning

    We had three tiny birds here in Khon Kaen. During the evening all three would roost together tightly on a clothesline. Cute

    Started off: 3 birds, 1 gecko

    Then

    2 birds, 1 gecko

    Next

    1 bird, 1 gecko

    Final act

    1 gecko

    Warning: If you hear a gecko. Hunt him down.

    His time is coming. We saw a 4 foot snake almost get that damn gecko yesterday afternoon.

    But the snake will become another problem.
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  4. #104
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    Quote Originally Posted by BaitongBoy
    Seems they should not have to rely on sticky tape for survival.
    Quite true, and they probably could survive without it, but it makes me feel a little better, what with being the dad 'n all.

  5. #105
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gipsy
    From Wikipedia: The birds mate between the months of April and August. Both the male and the female assist in building the nest which is flask-shaped, with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end. After building the nest, the birds abandon the nest for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. The eggs take a further week to hatch. The female may leave the nest for short periods during the day during incubation. After the chicks have hatched, both male and female assist in the care of the young, which leave the nest about two or three weeks later.
    As pointed out by cdnski12, wikipedia does seem a bit wrong on a couple of counts.
    The birds here definately mate nearer the end of the year, and i've only seen the male birds help with feeding the young when there is more than one chick.
    If there is only 1 chick the male will stick around, fighting himself in the mirrors and generally "having a go" at me by hovering nearby and giving me lots of threatening chirps.

  6. #106
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    Your just a Bird Magnet Whithnall

  7. #107
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    Quote Originally Posted by mingmong
    Your just a Bird Magnet Whithnal
    FACT.

  8. #108
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    Quote Originally Posted by robuzo
    Best thread ever.
    Not sure about that; read any of my goat threads or my hot chocolate thread???

    OP, a very nice thread, glad it has been reborn, as Patsy noticed. Due to our male cat being an ace tree climber, we're a bit short of birds - nice to see the success of these (don't you have any cats down south?). Keep the pics coming.
    Cycling should be banned!!!

  9. #109
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bettyboo View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by robuzo
    Best thread ever.
    Not sure about that; read any of my goat threads or my hot chocolate thread???

    OP, a very nice thread, glad it has been reborn, as Patsy noticed. Due to our male cat being an ace tree climber, we're a bit short of birds - nice to see the success of these (don't you have any cats down south?). Keep the pics coming.
    It's not just the cute birdies, it's the drama- marauding ants, geckos, snakes, cats and a scheming bird-caging neighbor. But none shall pass, for valiantly blocking their way is Sir Withnall of Stoke, sword in one hand and shining trumpet in. . .an orifice; fie upon thee, vile monster, thou shall not taste mild chick-flesh today.
    “You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.” Dorothy Parker

  10. #110
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    ^

  11. #111
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    ^^

  12. #112
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    Quote Originally Posted by robuzo
    Sir Withnall of Stoke, sword in one hand and shining trumpet in. . .an orifice
    I do like that.

  13. #113
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    Great thread indeed. I had a Sunbird build a nest right outside my dinning room window that would have been just a half metre away from our window in Mackay - Queensland. We were a bit excited watching the development take place...but....no eggs were laid over a couple of seasons....then I found out that the same pair had built those nests at my neighbours house on either side and not laid eggs there either...perhaps a summer retreat and winter retreat???
    There are lots of Asian Minor birds and pigeons build nests in our roof in central Thailand but havent been lucky enough to spot a Sunbird yet even though they are native of S.E Asia....All the best mate and good thinking with the sticky tape....those ants are mongrel things
    Just a Member number

  14. #114
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    what with being the dad 'n all.
    Good on you, Stokers...

  15. #115
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    This morning she laid another egg.
    That post was made on the 4th January.

    About 10 days later there was again a bit of an early morning commotion, so i went outside to have a look.
    There were half a dozen sunbirds making a hell of a racket, and they were all buzzing around the nest - quite unusual as i normally see only 1 or 2 at a time.

    A couple of days later, i found out what the fuss was about.








    Another set of twins!!





    For the first 2 or 3 days the young are fed on a diet of nectar and possibly semi digested food. Before feeding the chicks, the adults perch nearby sticking out their very long tongues and appearing to throw up into their own mouths.

    The diet after that is mostly spiders, and with the solid diet comes another problem - crap in the nest.
    This is dealt with by the chicks passing a little package to the adults after each feed which the adults then take away.










    Still a few days away from flying.

  16. #116
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    Your patience has improved your photography. Well done mate.

  17. #117
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    Quote Originally Posted by chassamui
    Your patience has improved your photography
    New camera with a x20 zoom function helps as well.

  18. #118
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    as a longterm ornothologist i think your are very lucky

  19. #119
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    and appearing to throw up into their own mouths.
    How many of us have been there, eh withnall?...Too much Chang, perhaps?...

  20. #120
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    The diet after that is mostly spiders, and with the solid diet comes another problem - crap in the nest. This is dealt with by the chicks passing a little package to the adults after each feed which the adults then take away.

    I was wrong about the chicks passing their "waste" to the parents.
    I thought the chicks picked it up and passed it by beak. They don't.
    They do a 180 degree turn and actually crap directly into the beak of the parent.

    Anyroad up, time to press on.



    End of another era.

    Since the twins in the photos above, mum laid yet another pair of eggs, and incubated them untill they were ready to hatch.
    She was looking pretty rough - plummage was a dull yellow and quite sparse, i think she had pretty much reproduced herself to the limit.
    She left the nest in the afternoon and never came back.

    Overnight, at least one egg must have hatched, because the next day i could see the nest periodically twitching.
    I left it well alone, expecting mum to return and see to her offspring, but she never did.

    I checked inside the nest and found one chick moving, and one dead. The dead one looked like a black worm, and one of the eggs was almost black in colour.

    The other chick died shortly afterwards.






    To give you an idea of the size of these chicks, the coin in the photo is a 1 baht coin.

    Last edited by withnallstoke; 26-04-2014 at 10:05 AM.

  21. #121
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    Not wanting to leave the thread with pictures of death, here a few of the last chicks from a month or so ago.

    I can't really express how much joy these little fuckers have brought into my simple life, and i was chuffed to bits to get one of them perching on my finger the same day as it left the nest for the first time.















  22. #122
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    Disaster, sadly...

    I wonder of the sticky tape had something to do with it?

  23. #123
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    Very sad to witness 2 new-borns not making it past the first few hours of perilous life.

    Great pics of those that did though and kudos for looking out for them over the years papa.

  24. #124
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bettyboo
    Disaster, sadly
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Lick
    Very sad to witness 2 new-borns not making it past the first few hours of perilous life.
    I tried to feed it with crushed eggshell and cat food, but although it opened its beak, all the food kept falling out.
    The rum little bugger stayed alive for about 48 hours i reckon.





    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Lick
    papa

  25. #125
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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    Not wanting to leave the thread with pictures of death
    wasn't death thats put me off my cornflakes this fine Saturday morn...
    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    I was wrong about the chicks passing their "waste" to the parents.
    I thought the chicks picked it up and passed it by beak. They don't.
    They do a 180 degree turn and actually crap directly into the beak of the parent.

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