These are two updates on the nesting of the Common Tailorbirds (Orthotomus sutorius maculicollis): Part 1 and Part 2.
Update 1:
“I was wrong about stage of development of the juveniles for this nest.
They were far more advanced. In addition I suspect the nest anchoring broke (more on this later) and they had to fledge earlier than planned.
“I was working on the PC at 6.50am on 13th June 2012 when I heard 2 juveniles calling (peeps). Abandoned my work and sat outside in the garden with the camera to document the situation. Light was an issue and most images posted here were taken closer to 8am (when I had to rush off to work).
“Images (above and below-left) show one of the fledgling, who has just left the nest, being fed. …This juvenile was in a better position for observation (2.5 meters from my garden bench where I parked myself). It appears that parents had taken one juvenile each to look after. The adult male was looking after this juvenile who has perched on a low shrub just 0.5 meters off the ground. The juvenile was fed a mixture of caterpillars, other invertebrates and winged insects. Feeding was almost every 1-2 minutes.
“Although this juvenile was fed predominantly by the adult male, the female did come with an occasional prey (above right).
Update 2: Afternoon and evening
“The first juvenile to fledge did very well. It was larger and more mature. Observations were only possibly intermittently (when I came home for lunch and evening). This first juvenile had, by lunch time made its way 7 meters in our garden to our Neem tree and was situated 3.5 meters up in a low branch. It was still being fed but less frequently as, like all new babies, it also slept a lot. Above left shows it sleeping on the branch and later awake (above right). The adult male continued to be the predominate parent feeding it.
“By evening the parents had encouraged this juvenile to fly across the road to a neighboring house that is currently unoccupied, and functions as a bird ‘sanctuary’, free from the intense gaze and camera of a bird lover.”
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Canning Garden Home, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
10-13th June 2012
Disclosure: Only one visit was made to the nest when both parents were away. No attempt to touch the nest or disturb the surrounding vegetation. Brief episode to get some images and no flash used.
(13th June 2012)
