Bulbuls at Home

As I opened the door to the terrace, my eyes went straight to the hanging flower pot of our roof-top garden, which still had the Red Whiskered Bulbuls nest. The inhabitants of the nest had flown away. A touch of sadness hit my heart, remembering the last few weeks during which the Bulbuls had stayed in the nest and in our home too.

Birds on our terrace are a common sight, with crows and pigeons frequently coming over for water and in search of food. Hence, it was not surprising to see a Red Whiskered Bulbul couple choose one of the hanging flower pots on our terrace to build their nest. Their nest was a labor of love, made with twigs put together over days. Once the nest was in place, the female Bulbul laid three eggs, whitish in color with a splattering of brown on top. The Bulbuls were not overawed by our presence, and we also gradually learned not to pay too much attention to them. A few weeks later, three chicks were born. The female Bulbul guarding the chicks and the male Bulbul getting the feed were a sight to see. The chicks gradually grew up, with feathers starting to appear. All of us tried to peek into the nest whenever the Bulbuls were away. It was a kind of daily routine for us, and most of the time the chicks were found fast asleep.

On Sunday morning, as I got up to get the newspaper from downstairs, I had a look at the nest; the parents were not there, and the feathers on the chicks had formed up. I took a few snaps on my mobile, and I got back to my Sunday routine work. It might have been past noon while I was working on my laptop when I heard a cacophony of bird noises. It didn’t sound normal. I rushed out onto the terrace and looked at the nest. To my horror, I found a white Shikra, a raptor bird, sitting on the nest. On seeing me, the Shikra flew away, exposing the empty nest. My heart just froze. None of the three chicks were there. Nor were the parents seen anywhere nearby. In desperation, I searched the entire terrace to see if any of the chicks had survived. But of no avail. Somehow, I felt I could still find one of the chicks. Still searching, I walked into the corridor separating the roof-top garden. I found one chick, scared and sitting in a corner. In that moment, heartbreak turned into joy. All of us got together, and my daughter cuddled the small, cute Bulbul chick in her hands.

However, little did I know that this was to be the beginning of a new challenge. The chick suddenly flew out of my daughter's hand and fell a couple of feet away. We knew then that it couldn't fly much distance. By this time, the parents had also come around searching for the chicks. I felt a lump in my throat upon hearing the desperate cries of the parents. We put the chick back into the nest, after which both the parents flew into the nest, feeding the lonely chick. One may not understand the birds language, but we could surely feel what they felt. The sadness of losing two and the joy of having one.

Meanwhile, from a distance, the Shikra was keeping an eye on the happenings. Though we kept guard near the nest on the terrace, the Shikra still made attempts to get near the nest. We then knew it wouldn’t be safe for the chick to be kept in the nest. And the chick, with its newly found feathers, kept coming out of the nest, wanting to spread its wings and fly out but being unable to do so. It was a tricky situation for us as the Shikra was watching from the adjoining treetop, and we needed to keep the chick secure while at the same time keeping the chick near the parents so that it could be fed.

As the evening wore on, I decided to take the nest and the chick inside our house. I hung the flower pot with the nest in our drawing hall and kept the door open. In some time, the parents also came in through the door and settled into the nest with the chick. The chick kept flying out of the nest, and it was a sight to see the entire family of Bulbuls roaming around our drawing hall, moving over the sofas and show pieces. Meanwhile, outside, on the terrace, I saw the Shikra swooshing onto one of the hanging flower pots, desperately searching for its prey, which it had missed, and then flying out in disappointment.

As it darkened outside, I could sense the parents getting restless from the squeaks they were making. I opened the door, and both of them flew out into the darkness, leaving the chick behind with us. I placed the chick in a shoe box with paper napkins placed in it to keep the chick warm. I switched off all the lights in the drawing room to make it dark, making it comfortable for the chick to sleep. I set my alarm to wake up at first light and have a check on the chick, for I was scared as it was staying out without its parents for the first time. Early in the in the morning, I got up and went to look into the shoe box. The chick was all rolled up into a furry ball with no signs of any movement. My heart sank as I didn’t know whether the chick had survived the night or not. But a little squeak from the chick confirmed all was well, and now I could see it with its eyes open.

But there was no sign of the parents. Were they scared after yesterday's happening in the evening? I didn’t know. I called up the Avian and Reptile Rescue Centre (ARRC) for help, who promptly sent their rep in quick time. He confirmed details of what had happened yesterday and advised looking out for the parents of the chick. If the parents didn't turn up, the chick would have to be sent to the rescue center. While deliberating the next course of action, we saw one in Bulbul, and in some time, the other one came too. We took out the hanging flower pot with the nest, hung it out on the terrace, and put the chick inside the nest. The chick flew out and fell down onto a deewan placed on the terrace. The parents followed suit and started feeding the chick. In the meantime, we noticed that the Shikra was back and was sitting on a treetop, watching the happenings on the terrace.

We were back to where we were the previous day. To secure the chick, we put it in a basket and deliberated on our choices. Keeping a vigil with the chick out in the open along with its parents was the best option, as in a couple of days the chick would be able to fly out on its own. In the meantime, the parents were all over the cage, desperate to feed the chick. With the Shikra now out of sight, we decided to let the chick out of the cage. As soon as the chick got out of the basket, the parents started feeding it again with little worms and tiny colored fruits. After having a sumptuous feed, the chick suddenly decided to fly, and it landed over the row of flower pots kept on the edge of the terrace, a good 30 feet away. We waited with abated breath. What next? After a pause of a couple of minutes, the chick took off to the nearest tree branch, with his parents following suit. It was a sense of joy and relief, both together. Joy as the chick will be with its parents and relief as it will be safer in the denser natural surroundings. Fly safe, little bird, and explore the beautiful world that awaits you.