A BIRD'S TALE - African Paradise Flycatcher family

A father's "umbilical" cord. I felt blessed to have witnessed this incredible sight - a new family depicted by a lifeline between the parent and child.
A hundred meters down our driveway in November 2014, on my way to work one morning, an African Paradise Flycatcher in flight, caught my eye. I got out of my car and followed it slowly to the tree it flew to. Peeping through a hedge close by, I saw the beautiful bird feeding one of two chicks in a nest. I took a few photographs and left for work with a big smile. What a catch in our garden!
The next day I decided to take some more photos during the "golden hour", but as I approached the nest, I found it slightly tilted. I felt disheartened when I found the nest empty. A dead chick lay on the lawn. I was devastated.
Less than two weeks later the same breeding pair stated building a new nest. This time it was no more than five meters from our bedroom window! I watched in awe as they carted building materials along in their bills.
The nest was placed about two meters above the ground in a fork of dead twigs at the end of a branch, right above a garden path between our garage and house. the shallow open cup shaped nest quickly took shape. Plant fibres, rootlets, fine pieces of bark, dried leaves and even coconut hairs (from my potting soil) were used to construct this little "home". To finish it all off, they carefully camouflaged the exterior with grey lichen.
Lichen was bound with spider web strands around the nest.
The singing male started defending the immediate surroundings, even chasing another male Flycatcher away. the courtship started and the male crouched with dropped wings and fanned, raised tail, quivering its wings and making soft calls. The receptive female observed these displays and both birds leaned towards each other. The male performed courtship displays, impressing the female with undulating fly passes, displaying the rich blue and browns of the upper parts and the elegant tail streamers. This carried on for no more than a day or two. It swept the tail and quivered the wing tips. During these displays, the male called with the bill wide open to expose the bright colors inside its mouth.
December was a very wet and stormy month, but they did not leave the nest. Through thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds they sat, even enduring a hail storm once.
Then one morning I saw the male flying towards the nest with a moth in its mouth. Within two days three chicks had hatched. The male and female still took tuns on the nest while a feeding frenzy started. They were feeding the chicks with small insects, but this quickly became huge meals. It seemed as if anything that moved was caught and fed. Insects, beetles, moths, butterflies, ants and even spiders were on the menu.
A popular place to collect food was under a garden lamp early in the mornings, when moths and other insects were till attracted to the light and heat of the lamp.
At one stage a couple of Red-winged Starlings showed interest in the nest and the small occupants inside, but the male launched some ferocious attacks on them and the Starlings left soon after.
At all times the male was just as active as the female in the care and upbringing of the small chicks. Even when it came to "changing the nappies". A baby would be nudged to stick its rear in the air, and a faecal sac would be removed. It was interesting to see the parent dropping all these sacks under another tree, fifteen meters away from the nest in an effort to guide predators away from the nest.
It took an amazing short period of fifteen days from hatching to leaving the nest. Al this time they were fed and protected by their parents.
And soon the nest became too crowded for the whole family. Down feathers is replaced by small feathers.
Wing flexing and the first flapping exercises became an hourly event, with healthy sleeping bouts in between.
it was time for the first chick to step out of the nest and onto the branch supporting the nest. After an hour on the branch, it set off on its first attempt at flying, which ended up on the lawn. both parents were around, but did not interfere, nor did they seem too concerned. After two more attempts, the new flyer flew back up onto the branch near the nest.
Within minutes after the first one's successful flight the second set off onto the branch and took off. It landed five meters away on the airport roof, but also found its way back to the nest tree.
The third one was not ready to leave the nest. Both male and female kept on bringing food and watched over him for one more day. It was only the nest morning when it got onto the edge of the nest, almost ready to take on his first flight.
And finally number three also set off on a successful flight.
Very tired and exhausted, the little one first took a quick nap before joining the other two chicks...........
‪@EvelynJoubertNatureWithEve‬
#birds #photography #wildlife #nesting #flycatcher #feeding #chicks #nature

[@karinhawelka211]

What a wonderful happy-end! 🫠

[@EvelynJoubertNatureWithEve]

Thanks Karin

[@capturingnaturewithsandip]

Awesome description. Thanks for sharing full story. Big Like & nice capture

[@EvelynJoubertNatureWithEve]

Thank you for the kind words.