3 Babies Gone!

2017, 6 Jan

We were just discussing how demanding and noisy the baby Pardalotes are, and how the parents must be exhausted – about time for the kids to leave home – when we heard one of the parents calling loudly, then there was a ‘thud, thud’ at the big lounge room window (the only bit we’d left uncovered) and there were 2 babies on the floor at the bottom, against the glass. 

I moved the CD rack out so I could reach them, and one fluttered up to land on the bottom of the high windows. It sat there, undecided, but that’s where the parents often come in, so I figured if it stayed there, Mum or Dad would show up soon with food for their demanding youngsters.

I gently picked up the second baby as it fluttered at the glass of the big window, and took it outside. As soon as I opened my hand, it flew up into a nearby branch, perched for several seconds, then flew up and vanished into the trees.

The first baby was still sitting on the bottom of the high window frame at the lounge end, and one of the parents came in at that spot (above the window), sat for half a minute, then flew out again. 

Baby didn’t get the message, and sat there looking unsure what to do.

Video 

I went back to the nest at the other end and checked the nest hole – obviously still 2 or 3 babies there, judging by the noise. I heard a whirr of wings, and the baby had flown back to the nest end of the house, perching on the bottom of the high window frame, near the nest.

Mum/Dad came in for a ‘garbage run’, going in to the nest and flying out with a ‘poo pack’ in its beak, which it dropped in its confusion when it saw me standing below, and baby at the window. It flew out above the windows, and several seconds later baby no. 2 followed it outside.

Video

We thought about covering up the end window, but thought it was probably good to have one accessible spot where the babies may go, so they could be easily caught taken outside if necessary. Later on, I put a lace curtain over the gap, though, so there was still 'outside'visible, but there was a bit of protection from flying into the hard glass. 

All was relatively quiet for a bit, with just the outbreak of querulous peeping and squeaking when a parent arrived with food.

About half an hour later, there was another thud and a third baby was at the bottom of the end big window. I managed to catch it as it tried to flutter through the glass, and took it outside. It sat in my hand for a minute or so, then flew up to a low branch and preened itself vigorously. There was a lot of scratching going on; maybe there were some little parasites in the crowded nest hole.

A few minutes later, another Pardalote flew to the branch, and the two flew away together. I don’t know if it was a parent or baby; there was no noise made by either, but it was good to see that they had found each other.

Happy New Year (or a noisy one, at least!)

On New Year's Eve, my stepdaughter and her husband called in, so there were extra people in the Pardalotes' nesting zone (i.e. our family room).  The parents were still very busy bringing in food, and the babies had begun to add an insistent, high-pitched peeping to their squeaking noises.

Despite the people chatting in the room, the parents kept up their food relay; and the next day we added even more people to the room - including grandchildren. The Pardalotes were undeterred, and the babies were fed pretty much from dawn to dusk.

This video is very grainy (sorry), but you can hear the noise the babies make as the parent backs out. It seems to have a little packet of excreta in its beak to take outside.

We are lucky that the Pardalotes are such good housekeepers, taking their babies' droppings right outside. We have swallows' nests underneath our eaves outside, and the paving below their nests is a real mess with all their droppings.

Still feeding unseen babies....

The food relay continues today, with both parents bringing in tasty morsels for their offspring hidden in the nest hole in the wall.

It's been hot today and yesterday, and I wonder how the babies are getting water. I guess the food brought in by the parents has to provide moisture as well as sustenance. This caterpillar looks nice and juicy!

If we go into the family room, a bird will often pop its head out and sit at the entrance of the nest. I'd like to think its enjoying our company, but it's just guarding its babies. It's still a lovely thing to happen, and we certainly enjoy their company!

Food Relay

Yesterday I watched the Pardalotes while I was washing dishes in the kitchen (which opens onto the family room). Both adults were very busy collecting food for the babies in the nest.

One would fly in with a morsel in its beak, perch on the heater flue next to the nest and chirrup to announce its presence. The other would emerge from the nest hole and fly off up to the 'exit' above the high windows, and the one with the food would disappear into the nest; gentle chirps would be heard at times emanating from the hole.

When I finished the dishes, I installed myself on a chair with the camera but there was a lull in the food production line I almost caught one shot of Mum or Dad with what looked like a grasshopper in its beak (too fast for me, so a bit blurry, sorry).

One of the adults popped its head out and waited for a bit, then seemed to get tired of waiting for its partner, so flew off outside. I caught it on video (click on link below thumbnail for YouTube clip):

“Can't wait any longer…going out!” 

I could hear Pardalote calls outside, so with my camera on Movie mode, I went out to look - usually a vain endeavour as the tiny birds are easily hidden amongst the leaves of our many trees and the penetrating quality of their call makes it difficult to locate the source. Just as I think I've worked out which tree to concentrate on, I'll hear the call further away!

Pardalote Call in Tree

So this video shows just a tree with an audible Pardalote's call...and a Butcherbird call at the end - a lovely sound but I hope they stay down in the valley and don't come hunting near our house, as we have swallows nesting under the eaves as well as the Pardalotes looking for food for the babies - not to mention their babies once they venture into the outside world.

Hungry Chicks

Lunchtime was busy today, with Mum and/or dad Pardalote bringing a constant supply of food to the nest hole for a couple of hours. They would perch on the heater flue next to the nest and either wait quietly for a half minute or so, or chirrup cheerfully, before disappearing into the hole.

Caterpillars seemed to be the special of the day.

I read up on Striated Pardalotes, and it seems that they lay 2-5 eggs. We've only ever noticed one 'extra' one at a time, but by the amount of food going into the burrow in the last couple of days, it seems possible that there is more than one juvenile in there.

It's been fairly quiet since the middle of the day, so maybe they're all resting with full tummies.

A Very Cheepy Christmas!

Christmas Day was hot at our place - it reached over 36 deg. C outside, and up to 29 deg inside by the afternoon - no air con, just fans to keep us cool. We had a small gathering (son, daughter and son-in-law) to lunch,  but we still managed to make quite a bit of noise.

The Pardalotes were in fine form, too, flitting back and forth to the nest, chirping and trilling. They brought food in to the nest, so there must have been a baby inside. I wonder if Junior had come back. It would be a real squash if there was more than one baby in the tunnel nest.

I've never seen the Pardalotes so active. The baby (babies?)  in the nest must be quite big to need so much feeding. They may have been a little worried about all the people in the family room, too - usually it's just Greg sitting quietly reading or maybe one of us in the kitchen at the other end of 'their' room. One of them sat at the entrance to the nest several times, for quite a long time, either because the nest was getting too hot/crowded, or to keep a look-out.

Baby Leaves Home

Junior left home yesterday... or, rather, I threw him out. 

I actually just took him outside and let him fly away, as he was flapping furiously at the windows and Mum and Dad were nowhere around to show him where to get out (they have a gap above the top windows, but he was down at the bottom of the large windows opposite). 

He was sitting at the window ledge on the floor, looking flustered, and I didn't want him to fly around and stun himself, so I bent down to pick him up, with no protest from him. He nestled quietly in my hand and carried him outside. I grabbed my camera, hoping he might hang around for a photo op, but as soon as I opened my hand out, he flew off up into the eaves under the verandah, then off to the trees nearby. 

I hope he finds his parents out there. I figure Pardalotes have such a penetrating call, surely he'll meet up with Mum or Dad outside, if that's what Pardalotes do. There are plenty of suitable spots around the house to make a nest, and the big meat-eating birds haven't been around for a while (there is a large group of choughs, but they eat seeds ... including our grass seed!)

Mum and Dad  have been looking for him inside, chirping melodically but not sounding alarmed. They must have decided he was big enough for solids - one came in with a juicy caterpillar in its beak, and couldn't work out why Junior didn't respond, but Junior had flown the nest.

The only sign I could find of Junior was a tiny half eggshell dropped in the loungeroom.... at the other end of the house from the nest. They often fly looping along the top windows to go in and out at that end, although they can just as easily get out just above their nest hole.

Today, they're back to normal, flying in and out when they feel like it and chittering softly. Maybe one of them is Junior - I have no way of knowing, as they all look alike. They've been quite active, and when I made a coffee a little while ago one popped out of the nest to watch me. I wonder if they're feeling broody again.