And finally, sightings of the chicks, and more, with these chicks easily more than ten days old now.
A normal feeding of a grub for one chick.
And then the parent didn't fly off immediately but waited.
And it happened, a parent's instinct I guessed, of its chick's habit and timing of output after a meal, neatly nipped for disposal.
A rather awkward landing but no matter, welcomed for it's come with food.
And when the food was a small catch of a beetle, feeding is simple, straight into the throat.
But if the catch is a long one and not positioned well for entry, then it's a loss for one but a gain for another.
And the usual housekeeping thereafter.
Another feed and the parent did not leave immediately, which was fortunate as I soon discovered why ....
... for this one had leaned out of the nest, its head drooping down for a snooze.
And the protective parent wisely decided to wait out its snooze for a few seconds before the chick retreated into the nest again.
And sad to say these were the last images of the brood and its parent for a few days later, the nest was completely empty and no fledglings in sight or within earshot. Could they have fledged successfully or fallen prey to another or to the daily thunderous and torrential weather?
Having trawled the taman to no avail, I maintain hope that perhaps I could still come across a set of parent and juvenile foraging, for if they're still around in the taman, they would surely be spotted and/or heard.
