Indian flycatcher family
One early morning at Yala national park, this extraordinary moment captured my eyes. The time is around 10 am, warm weather and windy at the moment Paradise flycatcher nest all the eggs have been hatched. The babies are in the development stage, so they constantly need to feed. Usually they laid 2 – 4 eggs. In this case there are three hatched chicks. The female take part to build the nest. The materials use to build the nest dry leaves, branches etc. My jeep has a position quietly to suitable and ideal angle to capture these greatest moments. My self and the driver we are being mindful, respected the subject’s distance, not disturbed, and quietly watched the whole mom’s process.
This paradise fly-catcher nest is located in a very protective and strategic location. Near a water hole and surrounded by trees. So, the gusty wind will protect the nest from being thrown away, and trees react as an umbrella to provide shade. The shade is essential since the newborn still has the skin to protect from the sun.
These petite chicks constantly need to be fed. When every mother or father is in their presence, they reach out of the nest for grab bringing from parents. Flycatcher’s mother takes shifts. I would rather say a parent on a roster to feed and guard the nest against intruders. Food sources are small insects, like bees, butterflies, and ants, etc. Just like the human babies, parents ensure to feed the soft and nutrias food part to the little chicks. Mother or father put the food into the mouth of the hungry chicks. From time to time, paradise flycatcher parent cleans the nest and drops the disposables to the water whole nearby. Once a nearby branch of the tree, the intruder was haggling around. It was the changeable hawk. Within a fraction, the male flycatcher reacted and started to attack the intruder, and the hawk-eagle stormed away.
T The guardian always ensures to provide security and food soccer to the little chicks. They are a 24/7 surveillance team. Imagine how humans react to their kids. I have been patiently waiting to capture these moments of the paradise flycatcher family. Since the nest is built in a shady area, there is not much impact with the wind and hot sun, but the sun and wind are unforgiving where I paint the picture.
The male bird has a long tail, and the female has a shorter tail. When it comes to parenting, its takes effort. The potential threats for these little birds will be snakes, ants, lizards, and other birds of prey. So, the nest will be needed to guard always. The Indian paradise flycatcher is commonly seen in the Yala and Wilapthu national parks. After spending a few hours in the vicinity of the nest,, I decided to move to a different area of the park.
.Content and images by Kusal Gautamadasa
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