Christmas sunbird story: 1. Introducing the family

“I have learned a lot over the past few weeks about the nesting of Olive-backed Sunbirds (Nectarinia jugularis) from your BESG website. I had myself a fascinating experience that I posted on my FB site LINK.

“I would love to receive some feedback on the behaviour of the Brown-throated Sunbird (Anthreptes malacensis) that took hostage of the chick of the Olive-backed Sunbirds.

“The remarkable story of ‘Peanut’ the Olive-backed Sunbird chick who had an incredible zest for life took place over the Christmas period and was regularly updated by me on my own facebook page, until I buried her. Here is the full photo story.

“When I came back to Bangkok last week (after 3 months absence) several birds appeared to have made nests in the jungle that my terrace had become. The most active and successful couple was this pair of tiny Olive-backed Sunbirds that had built a bottle-shaped hanging nest in my bougainville vine outside my bedroom window (above).

“Above the opening there is a clever protective roof (above) and the inside has nice soft lining. The nest has one tiny egg.

“Above is Olive, happily incubating her egg. Little could she, her partner Sunny Boy, nor myself, imagine the turn this story would take. I have still dozens more photos of these first days to remember the ‘happy period’…

“The male Olive-backed Sunbird near the nest. I named him Sunny Boy (above).

“The female Olive is a bit further away, always watching if it is safe to go to her nest (above).

“Olive, our mother sunbird (above).

“Sunny Boy, the father sunbird with metallic blue throat (above).

“This morning (23rd December 2016), a chick appeared to have hatched out of the egg; mama Olive was coming and going to the nest all the time, feeding the chick (above)…

“…as well as sitting in the nest, as she had done all last week when she was still incubating the egg (above).

“24th December, baby bird is one day old. Lots of activity around the nest and lots of distress as well. Here is Sunny Boy, the father, drinking nectar from flowers on my terrace (above).”

Henriette Jansen
Bangkok, Thailand
1st January 2017

The second part will be posted tomorrow when tragedy struck…