A Red Vented Bulbul's life (1)

This story begins when a red vented bulbul comes to our house, it lands on our lamps and curtains. The bird selected our curtains. We knew that the bird was building a nest because it was bringing sticks. One day I found a stick witch has fallen down from the nest, it was longer than the bird itself!   With help from another red vented bulbul [witch must be the male or female bird] they finished building their nest from some days.

   

 Sometime after building the nest, the female red vented bulbul kept sitting on the nest. We started to think that the female laid eggs. She left the nest time to time to look for food. She sometimes sits on the nest at night. But sometimes she doesn’t. from about one week we found an eggshell thrown away by the red vented bulbul parents. When we are inside our house, I saw one of the adults taking some food for the hatchlings. Both parents bring food for the hatchlings. When the hatchlings grew up a little bit, we saw that there are three hatchlings. [ because we saw thee beaks] one morning, we found a chick who had jumped down from the nest. At first we thought only one chick has jumped down, but as we tried to help it, we saw another one! Near the sofa. The first one we saw was near the rug. And one of the red vented bulbul started to call noisily from the grill. So we went back to the bedroom. [so the bird won’t get scared] we started to think how to get our dog who is named Moana away from the chick while we go down stairs to make tea. We thought of holding Moana so she can’t sniff or take the chick. When we tried the plan she didn’t even notice the chick was there! We could keep Moana away from the chick. We left Moana downstairs so she can’t do any harm to the chicks. We though what to do the chicks.  We saw an adult throwing away ants from the nest, so we started think that the third chick must have died and the ants came. So the chicks jumped down for safety.   We first made them a home we took a basket and put an old dress on top of the basket.  

    

        

We first thought to keep the basket on a tree in our front balcony garden. So we went to put the two chicks in it. But when we went, the chick near the sofa was gone! We looked everywhere for it but we couldn’t find it. We finally looked in the back balcony, and their it was! the chick had walked all the way to the back balcony. We took the chick back to the basket and kept it inside the house. But the chick just kept jumping out and going back to the balcony and calling with its parents. So we kept the basket outside. We closed the grill and left. we got used to keeping the chicks outside. So we kept them there. We keep them outside for the whole day. And took them in when it is dark. One day I named them. The fat one’s name is Feathers. And the small one’s name is Squawk.   

Squawk is the chick who was near the rug. We think he is a bit weak. His brother Feathers was the chick who kept jumping out of the basket. Their parents keep feeding them. But they feed them BREAD. Bread is not good for chicks to eat. Sometimes the chicks rest on the basket’s frame. But one day, we went to take the brothers inside. Instead of closing the door, we blocked the doorway with our legs. Moana looked from the glass. Squawk quickly started to peck at the glass. He started to jump towards our legs. Moana quickly popped her head through our legs and grabbed squawk! Moana went some steps forward and put Squawk to the floor. We quickly picked him up. He was hurt near his belly! We put some medicine very quick. And gave him water. He put his tounge out his head dropped and he died. We tried to make his heart work but it didn’t work. We kept him in a paper for some time but nothing happened. We had to bury him. We did it in our front balcony’s ficus tree. We had a look at Feathers he was sleeping with his head in his wing. Next day he was lonely. 

Feathers is lonely. He has only his parents, but he still gets lots of food.

          

When it got dark this time, we put Feathers to the office room so he doesn’t jump out and end up Moana’s mouth. But We brought him back to the living room when we are going to sleep. Next morning, we put him to the balcony. He waited there like he was waiting in his old nest.  From a little bit of time Feathers started preening his feathers. Today his beak was a bit pointed.  It was usually like a duck’s bill.  But now he is growing up, so he is getting more like an adult. We cleaned the basket. From al little bit of time, after we cleaned his basket, Feathers jumped out of the basket and sat down somewhere else. His parents are shouting; I think they are telling Feathers to try flying. They started to feed him. They feed him berries, bread, caterpillars, arecanuts and some other things.  

When it got a bit dark, we went to the balcony to take Feathers inside. When we cached him, he did a sad call like “tweeeeeeeeeeet”. We cowered him with another old dress. [like we always do] And we kept him in the dark place we keep him in.  next morning, we put Feathers back to the balcony. He can fly a little bit.  And his tail has grown a little bit today. The adult red vented bulbuls show him some food and flew away. They must be trying to make him fly with them. But Feathers can’t fly over the wall, it is too high. He is trying to fly time to time. He stays in the basket’s frame some times. And sometimes he stays in a corner of the balcony sometimes too.

 

But he stayed the most on the basket’s frame. His parents started feeding him. His behavior was a different.  When it got dark we put Feathers back to his basket. It was a little bit hard to put him in. when he was in, we kept him in his dark place for the night. Next morning we got to know something sad, Feathers was dead! Ants was eating him. We kept him in the balcony for a little bit of time. We had to bury him. We buried him in our ficus tree, the same tree we buried his brother in.    

 This may be sad, but it is a bulbul’s life…………. In a man-made house.