Baby Red Vented Bulbul
Photograph by Carol Reynolds
Good news ! If you read the previous post (scroll down) on Monday, June 15, 2015, you will see that some Red vented bulbul adults had built a nest on a palm branch that was dying. Right after I made that post, on Wednesday of that same week the palm branch fell off the tree. I felt so bad for the birds. I had prayed for a miracle to happen concerning the eggs/babies, like for the palm branch to miraculously not fall. I could not find the branch that fell and assumed it had fallen on a rooftop across from my paitio, which was directly below the dying branch.
The parent bulbuls began a flurry of activity for the next few days and I assumed they were building a new nest to the left of my lanai (patio) which was out of my sight. However, they seemed to be flying low and all their activity was more towards the ground. On the following Monday I was surprised to see a baby bulbul in my ficus tree on my lanai. !! I was so happy. My prayer for a miracle had been answered. Perhaps the nest had blown to the ground in a soft spot of some vegetation. There was no sign of any other babies.
The above photo was taken of my lanai from my living room window. I stayed off the lanai pretty much to give the birds privacy while they were occupying the area. My ficus tree in the background was where the baby bulbul first made its appearance and I watched the parents flit back and forth to feed the youngster.
Adult Red Vented Bulbul
This photo gives you a better idea of the bulbul's coloring, etc,. The previous photos of the adult bulbuls were taken looking towards the bright sky while the birds were in the palm tree and therefore did not give a good light to see details of the birds. They were not too shy when I sat on the lanai and took their portraits.
I am so glad that at least one baby bulbul survived. Below is another photograph I took today. The baby has a much stronger and louder chirp now than it did on this past Monday. Also, it can fly better and made it into the higher palm branches today.
Baby red vented Bulbul in palm tree
I am very glad I was wrong and that the adult birds were not building a new nest after all like I had previously presumed. . Life goes on. I love happy endings !!
