It’s incredible!!
Bella2 (but we suspect it actually is Bella) had built a nest in our curry leaf tree in the patio. Ginger (what a good boy!) did not at all disturb the nest so we actually didn’t even know about it. It was only when Tabs started staring at the tree that we found out about the nest.
There were two eggs in it, as usual.
For new readers, Bella built her first nest in our potted plant right outside our front door, two eggs, but only one hatched. Birdy took flying lessons after that and successfully flew off. Bella, Felix (her partner) and Birdy came to visit us very often. Then, Bella built her second nest in the same potted plant. Two eggs. Sadly, Calico (Smurfy’s sister?) came and tore down the nest and the eggs were never found. It was tragic. Next Bella built her third nest high up in our palm tree right outside our house. We don’t know how many eggs there were but we think that was successful too.
Now, this would be Bella’s fourth nest and she chose to do it in our curry leaf tree which is really too low. But Bella is a yellow-vented bulbul, so that is their natural habit – to choose potted plants.
Now, this posed a problem because we had made plans to catio-up Ginger’s patio for Minnie and her boys. We told the contractors about the nest and in no uncertain terms, the nest is not to be disturbed. The contractors knew and told us they must not touch the nest at all. They are kampung folk, so they are naturally kind to animals. But I was worried about the noise frightening Bella away. What if she is so scared that she abandons the nest totally? So I told the contractors to postpone the job for two weeks or even up to a month since I did not keep track of the status of the nest, but they kept reassuring me all would be well and if there were any loud noises, it would only be for a short while. They also couldn’t postpone the job as they already had other jobs lined up.
So the work proceeded as scheduled and I was so worried about Bella being frightened. But guess what, despite the occasional very loud noises, Bella was unperturbed. I saw her flying past the contractors and to and from her nest. It was quite amazing. That’s the determination and courage of a mother; she would do anything to protect her young.
Bella
Bella’s nest in our curry leaf tree
There was also another concern. What if the holes in the netting are too small for Bella to fly in and out from? So we chose a netting with bigger holes, just for this purpose, to ensure Bella would still be able to fly in and out (and yet, Minnie cannot escape from). I wanted to postpone the fixing of the netting at the strategic places which were part of Bella’s flight path, but again, the contractors assured me and told me not to worry. But we have a contingency plan now, we might just keep Ginger inside the house (oh my, happiness for Ginger!), open Stargate2 for easy access for Bella and she can do her flying lessons for her birdies until they are ready to fly away. Minnie and her boys are so comfortable in their two-bedroom “apartment” upstairs that I’m sure they don’t mind staying there for even a few more weeks. Really, they are so settled upstairs and they have a good view of outside from the windows. And this time, we had really Minnie-proof the windows. We’ve really nailed it down, figuratively, of course. We bought these extendable sticks from MrDIY to block the sliding of the windows.
So the construction has been ongoing for two days now (it was supposed to be only a two-day job, but now they say it’s going to take another two days, which means it would be ready only by Monday).
Yesterday evening, as I was cleaning up the place, I saw two little tiny heads with opened mouths in the nest!!!!
The eggs have hatched!! The eggs have hatched!!
I was so excited I rushed out to tell husband and the contractors, but the contractors said they already knew. The birdies “ada banyak bulu”, they said. And “emak dia tak takut pun, terbang sini sana”, gesturing how Bella flies past them, in a close shave.
Wow!!!
The birdies have hatched!! And this is despite all the challenges and all my worries!
We didn’t take any photos as we don’t want to disturb them.
I’m glad the noisiest part of the construction is over and the next two days should be quieter.
Wow!! The birdies have indeed, hatched!!