Sunbirds Had Left

The chicks have fledged, and the nest is now empty. It happened just a few days ago, less than 3 weeks from birth. I remembered getting up earlier than usual that morning, did my usual routine, and oblivious to what was about to unfold. Like every day before that, I would check out the nest the first thing when I woke up. Nothing particularly suspicious, and as amazed as the day before, I contemplated how the fragile and tiny nest could house three birds. Little did I know that was the last time I saw them. Yes, just like that..

However, we managed to capture one of the many feeding frenzies in the last few weeks in this video clip. Enjoy and be inspired.

Baby Sunbird

It was a "National Geographic" moment.  I was proven right. Mama sunbird was indeed building a nest for its newborn. The nest houses two tiny chicks. Each day, Papa and mama sunbirds will take turn to feed the babies.  At night, only mama bird is seen returning to the nest to take care of the birds. The same routine is repeated each day. Very soon, the little chicks will fledge, and the entire family will migrate, leaving behind the lovely nest for remembrance.

Love Nest, literally!

It has been barely 2 months old, and it looks like our neighbourhood birds are already making themselves comfortable at our home. I'm hoping it's the good fengshui that's attracting the nature. First, there was the bumble bee trying to tunnel through my new wooden kerosene lamp in the garden, leaving a permanent coin-sized imprint on the wood. Next came a green-feathered bird happily building its nest on our backyard bamboos. And now a small bird who's finding our bonsai tree a haven for its newborn. She's weaving a nest from twigs, pellets, and just about anything found from the surrounding area that could hold the nest together. It's humbling to see how hard the bird has been working (flying in and out, and weaving non-stop for 2 days now). The choice of location could not have been more conspicuous - the nest hangs precariously on the bonsai tree right in front of our main entrance, along the walking path and within reach by hand. The prospect of destruction by human or nature does not seem to be a deterrent at all. Mother nature is awesome!

Bird landing on its newly built nest

Bird starting to weave

Bird trying out its nest

Bird resting at night after a hard day's work

P.S. I just found out from a website maintained by a group of bird watchers in Singapore that the little bird is a female olive-back sunbird. She's probably incubating her eggs in her new nest attached to our bonsai. I'll try to see if I could catch a glimpse of the eggs.

This is Outrageous!

I need good friendly advice. Who can I turn to for help concerning exhorbitant pet consultancy charges? Any complaint hotline? Is the industry regulated by the Health Ministry? Does anyone understand, from the receipt here, what exactly had been prescribed for Fluffy's conditions, that warrant such an outrageous fee?

If we have been taken for a ride (for I have a strong suspicion so), I will not hesitate to take all necessary actions.

It Remains A Mystery

Fluffy has been the joy of the family since her arrival in March 2006. She is now two and a half years old, and she hailed from Australia. Yes, an expat! Yan and I picked her up from Pet Lovers at Holland V. Fluffy was unique, right from the start.

Till now, we aren't sure what made her stood out amongst all those puppies for sale in the shop. From the time we laid our eyes on her, she captured our hearts. Fluffy was just irresistably adorable. Perhaps it was her twinkling eyes, her high energy, curiosity and inquisitive nature that caught our attention. She fled like a runaway dog when released from her cage. When we finally got hold of her, she didn't struggle but quickly settled into my arms. It was as if she had been scheming all the while to win us over. "A thinking dog, how marvellous", we thought. And indeed she was. Before we knew what we were doing, we were at the cashier, and the next thing, she was in our car heading home.

I still remember her first night at One Balmoral. Like many first-time pet owners, we were oblivious to the pitfalls of pet owning, and had no idea of the responsibilities that came along. Little did we know that Fluffy is a little rascal (in a good way). She whined and cried every time Yan and I tried to put her into her cage. So worried that we might cause a commotion at One Balmoral, we finally yielded to her. This proved to be pitfall #1 - never yield to your pet's demand. Ever since, it was impossible to ever cage her without causing distress to our entire neighbourhood. Due to our work commitments, Fluffy had to be put in Yan's mother's care for most days and nights. Over this past year, she has grown so fond of Fluffy that the dog today is more like her pet than ours. It is hard not to like Fluffy. The entire family had a great time with her, until tragedy struck recently. It was about 2 months ago. Fluffy became strangely quiet. She wasn't her usual active self, and she looked unwell. Within days later, her hind legs were motionless. Despite hospitalization and medication, her mishap remains a mystery. Fluffy used to run all over the house after every ball, and up and down the staircase as fast as a human could. She was Maradona of the house. Watching her play was always a joy. It is heart-wrenching to see how a hyper-energetic poodle had turned into a helpless little dog. We are not sure what lies ahead for Fluffy, but one thing for certain, our lives will never be the same again.