Reach out for Food

Last weekend my sister kept on reminding my nephew that there are nestlings at the side street. That  is a euphemism that we should go there at once to take the photos. This is my sister whose house is maybe 20 meters away from ours, she has also 6 dogs and our cats always bring their kittens to her as soon as the kittens start to walk. That is because she gives a lot of food to pets. Sometimes she brings me some larvae, katydids, butterflies, millipedes or whatever critter she comes across with.

This time she is frantic that we immediately go and see the nestlings. The moment i touched the plant with the nest, the occupants suddenly extended their necks simultaneous with very wide open mouths. I at once saw two 'birdlets', we fondly call them that. They thought their mother arrived with food for them. I guess nature made their mouths very wide because the parent birds cannot easily drop the worm inside the mouth.

I shoot in succession. After a few seconds without food coming, they closed their mouths. And I wiggled the plant again so they repeat their stance, even extending the neck fully to ensure they get the food.

I am so sorry, i don't have any worm for you. Look at the skin on the neck, stretched fully well to reach for the food. I wonder where the parents are because they are very noisy when possible risks are near the nests.

I suspect, those eyes don't see yet. I wonder how old they are when they can easily see.

 The ears are also very wide and conspicuous when feathers are not yet growing. They also shake their heads while opening their mouths. That's the reason why some heads are blurred in the photo.

 After a few more shakes, there are already three of them with stretched heads and opened mouths.

 Look at those fully opened mouths, visible tongues and very stretched necks. They are competing with their parents' delivered food. I am so sorry for being a disappointment, i am just a distraction. And thank you very much for my photos.

These are yellow-vented bulbuls (Pycnonotus goiavier), reproducing only once a year during the dry season. Two to three nestlings are produced per year from one pair. Their nests are cup-shaped and well camouflaged just on some thickets about a few feet above the ground. This bird is already a resident in out property. They eat fruits, shoots, some insects and also sip nectar.

I'd Rather Be Birding