One of the chicks has disappeared.

Alas, this morning one of the chicks has disappeared!   There is no way it was developed enough to escape on its own so we are none the wiser as to what has happened.   We cleaned out the nest box to make sure it was not buried in the bedding and as there are no remains or obvious signs of it being eaten?   We fear a rat may have discovered the nest.    Luckily the remaining two others appear unharmed, healthy and active.  

On loan - but for how long?

"Harley", a five year old Yellow Crowned Amazon has recently come to stay with us while her owners / parents try to sort out how to get her to join them in their new home in Canada.   Because of the ongoing bird flu scares in and around Hong Kong it seems that there are very few countries that will accept importing a pet bird, even if it has been quarantined, vet checked and so forth.   So for the time being at least Harley has taken up station on our balcony and is slowly beginning to get used to her new surroundings.   Pecan nuts appear to be the answer to most issues with her.   She craves them like a crackhead craves crack.   This bird will sell her soul to the devil for a pecan nut!

New additions to the menagerie

Spring time is certainly upon us.   The cockatiels have successfully hatched 3 of their clutch of 5 eggs.    In January they had had a trial run and laid 4 eggs, none of which turned out to be fertile.   We closed off the nest box to let them have a rest but soon discovered that we had not closed it off well enough as the sneaky birds had managed to get back in and lay a second clutch.  

Here is Dad guarding the nest while Mum is out feeding.

And here he is again, this time with a tiny, newly hatched chick sticking out from under his wing.

Chick number 1, aged 5 days.  
The eyes are still closed but you can see it will not be long before they begin to open. caption

Chicks number 2 and 3, aged 3 and 2 days.   They are much much smaller and delicate.   They are a bit tangled up but you can just make out their heads on the left side of the picture.