I was away the previous weekend helping out at the Raptor Watch 2012. Since I was not entirely feeling well, decided not to stay over as planned and got a ride from one of the volunteers back on Saturday itself.
As it was my first time at the annual Raptor Watch, I was quite excited about all the activities that were organised. Alas, since I was helping out with some CSR activities for the firm, I was kinda stuck at the booth for most part of the day.
It had been quite hot and humid, which was just the weather the birds needed to make the crossing over the Straits of Malacca. But unfortunately, not the most ideal for someone recovering from cold and cough.
I was surprised myself that I went straight to bed as soon as I reached home, not even thinking of getting a bite or even a quick bath! >.< This must have been one of the rare times I actually listened to my body.
I was awakened the next morning by some unusually noisy chirps. To my delight I found that the baby sunbirds, which by then had almost grown to adult size, were busy learning how to fly!
I saw daddy sunbird with one of the babies perched on the electric wire outside a neighbour's house. The other baby was still in our backyard, hopping along the metal frame that held the roof trying to ready itself for another round. Was quite sure mummy sunbird would be in the vicinity as well.
Even though I was still a little groggy, I decided to go back to bed to see if I would recover faster by getting a bit of more rest. In my head I had wanted to wake up and try to snap some shots. Alas, as half-expected, they had already flown off by late afternoon.
They were nowhere to be seen. I thought the parents must've taken them for a spin, showing the babies the neighbourhood with their newfound skills. I was kinda hoping they would return, but learnt that the nest was not going to be able to fit all of them anyways.
How apt that the phrase "empty nest syndrome" was coined for such as this. I didn't have anything to do with their birth nor their growth, safe for a cheeky attempt at trying to feed them while their parents were away (!), but through my days working from home I found myself growing fond of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment