Sri Lanka It's Happening

June 4, 2004

Yesterday was the first day out for the baby sparrows. There are two of them, they had taken their first steps out of the nest to catch the last rays of the sun.

They can't fly yet, the chicks move by hopping from one branch to another. Mum and dad kept coming very close to them and then moving away again in a bid to make the kids spread their wings. In between they deposited a couple of tasty morsels down the kids' throats as well. (I know it tastes well because these birds love rice - both cooked and raw)

This learning to fly period is perhaps the most vulnerable for the chicks. Since the sparrows have made an old clay pot their home, it's pretty difficult for predators to attack. A koel did give it a go but that was to lay her own eggs in it not to eat the chicks. Should the chicks fall off their perch there are cats prowling about ready to pounce. (One of our own cats ate a fully grown sparrow about an year back and recieved a solid kick from me for it's trouble.)

It's at times like this that I wish I had a video or a digital camera, I did take a few shots with my trusty old Nikon SLR but the reel is still only 1/3 full and they are far to expensive here in Sri Lanka for me to take it in for development at this stage.