Black Kite Story

Day 7

The rain was heavy today. Tai laid on the chick and sheltered it from the rain. She was totally drenched. The colour of her wet brown feathers merged with the branches nearby. Next to her, two dead fish rotted on the edge of the nest.


The rain stopped in the evening. Tai stood on the nest’s edge and shook the water off from her feathers. Zen did not appear during the entire day. Today neither of them foraged for food.

Meanwhile, Zen and Tai’s neighbour, a White-throated Kingfisher, stood atop a dead tree and braved the rain for 15 minutes.

Day 8

Zen stood on the edge of the nest and ate fish for breakfast. The chick stared at the food. Perhaps he wanted some too? Zen balanced on one of the branches of the nest, took some meat, and carefully leaned towards the chick. The chick stretched his neck towards his dad. Finally, the chick got the meal successfully from the father.

 
After Zen fed the chick, he flew to another tree to defecate, then flew back to the nest to brood. A while later Tai came back. Her feathers were much drier than Zen’s. Maybe it was Zen who stayed in the nest and braved the heavy rain last night. Today Tai also foraged for food and patrolled her territory. She even chased some intruders away.

 
The sun came out in the afternoon. The two fish that rotted on the nest’s edge attracted loads of flies. Zen perched on the dead tree the Kingfisher stood on yesterday. Suddenly, a white blur flew towards him and attacked! Zen escaped back to the tree with his nest. (What on earth was that?)

Etta 19-12-2001