Happy Meal----Marsh Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpipers are wintering birds in Hong Kong and regular visitors on the mudflats. I was watching them feeding the other day and could not help feeling sorry for the mudskippers.

Tough birds----Where there is a will there is a way

Before I knew it, my Red-whiskered Bulbul neighbours who just lost their chicks last month had built a new nest and hatched their eggs again.

 

I only  realized what was going on when I saw the parents bringing home small insects again.

The nest is hidden very well in a big pine tree in the garden and to this day I am not able to locate it. I decided not to disturb the chicks and just observe the parents from inside my house.

Most of the time, the two birds would go out hunting together. If one caught insects first, it would wait for the other somewhere high up just outside my garden. 

If one was out of sight, the other would make very loud calls on top of a small tree. 

They always fed the chicks in turns, usually mum went in first, while daddy was waiting nearby on guard. 

Gradually, the insects they brought back got bigger and bigger.

One day, I even saw big Stick Insects! 

The two birds had been in and out every 10-20 minutes everyday for over a week, no matter if it was boiling hot or was pouring down with rain. With such dedicated parents, the nestlings must have been growing fast. I am sure that this time these two determined birds will be able to bring up a new family very soon.  

Happy birds---Red-whiskered Bulbuls enjoying papayas

The papayas in my garden are ripening again. Once they are ripe, the papayas are soft enough for the birds to peck through. Since the  papayas are very sweet, they are the favourite food of the local birds such as Magpies and Red-whiskered Bulbuls. 

 

Recently, my papaya trees have been attracting dozens of Red-whiskered Bulbuls. They have been having a very good time in the garden lately and it is a joy to watch. 

Eating papayas is not an easy job for the birds because the fruit grows on the tree trunk. So there is not much that the birds can stand on.  Occasionally, they can find a dead leaf stem close enough to a papaya.

Most of the time, the dead leaf stem is either too far away or there is nothing to hang on to. That is when the fun begins. However, no matter how difficult the situation is, these clever birds can always find a way to get the papayas. 

The most fascinating moment is when they try to eat papayas in the air.

Being over 30g in weight and 20cm long, it is almost an impossible thing to do. But it does not stop them from trying. I guess the papayas must be too delicious for them to give up.