yellow-bellied growing up

So it's been 2 weeks already, and it's amazing how fast babies grow. Those who are parents can attest to this, though human babies take much longer to mature, of course.

Although when I climb on the stool to get a view of the nest I get to see the babies, it's not the same when I have a camera. The past few days they have been snuggling at the bottom. No yawn, no beaks.

I can't believe I've been whispering to them, trying to get some sort of reaction out of the babies. I was so intent on doing that, that I didn't realise the parents were watching me! That's the daddy sunbird with its shiny metallic breast, usually the one feeding the babies.

There was once he kept chirping, maybe to get the attention of the babies, thinking I'm their predator. Even the mummy sunbird, shown above, flew over. So I decided to climb down the stool and lay low.

Daddy sunbird was understandably apprehensive, so was flying to and fro for a bit until it sensed that the coast was clear. I noticed it had some bits of green in its beak, which looked like strips of grass for food. Not wanting to scare the family anymore, I had to stand really still while hoping my wild snaps would produce some usable images.

This was the best I could get of the sunbird flying towards the nest. How many times I wished I had those equipment the National Geographic guys use to get their prize-winning shots.

Just when I took some shots of it flying and feeding its young, it returned to the clothesline again. This happened a few times, until I decided to leave them to feed in peace.

One afternoon I was delighted to notice some colour and movement in the nest. I realised the young ones have grown up! They must be at least twice the size when I saw them last week. Earlier I could only see their beaks and a bit of the head.

This time, I even managed to snap a considerable part of their body. There's bits of yellow showing on the breast. They're on their way to becoming full-fledged yellow-bellied sunbirds.


Note : You can click on any of the images to get a better view. I particularly like the last one of the baby sunbird half peeping out. That's the best shot I can get given that my trusty D5000 is not meant for macro shots, and me balancing on a stool without a tripod.