Observing the barbets & Dinner with old friends

I did mostly paper researches in the office today. After lunch, we finally went outside to check on the status of the nests and I did a shift of observation on my own.

Female Muller's Barbet (Megalaima nuchalis) making sure everything is safe and sound - because all of her eggs have hatched!

Right outside the nest, the presence of a Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) makes things feel unsafe.


Right underneath the nest, a couple of stray cats can be found.

On another nest site, things aren't as fortunate as one newborn had been stuck by the egg shells for several days. We presume it's dead - but why has the adult not yet take the dead chick out of the nets? Perhaps it's a first-time parent? Furthermore, two other eggs haven't hatched yet. We also think the eggs are dead. Now, we just have to think of ways to retrieve the eggs high up in the tree to examine them in detail.

In the evening, old friends from the zoo last summer gathered for a group dinner. It was awesome to see everyone again and have a great time. I miss the good old days.
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