Rising From the Ashes with the Sunbirds https://www.botany.one/rising-from-the-ashes-with-the-sunbirds/ @botanyone

Pollinator-dependence and specialization in three sunbird-pollinated, fire-stimulated flowering species https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/plb.70142

"South African plants that flower after fires are not taking a gamble but are relying on an unexpectedly resilient alliance with #sunbirds... By flowering in dense clusters after a fire, at a time when few other #plants are in bloom, they seem to capture the full attention of passing #birds"

A female and male Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus) spotted at Bukit Gombak Park, Singapore on 25 Jan 2025. A very common bird, often seen in urban areas.

On iNaturalist:
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/259527736
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/259527734

#iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Birds #Aves #Sunbirds #Nectariniidae

A male Ornate Sunbird (Cinnyris ornatus) spotted at Bukit Gombak Park, Singapore on 4 Jan 2025. A very common sunbird, found in nature and urban areas.

On iNaturalist [ https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/257322230 ].

#iNaturalist #Nature #Photography #Singapore #Birds #Aves #Sunbirds #Nectariniidae

The return of the sunbirds

🌱 If you’re following my website via RSS or subscription, please note that this is just a “seedling” or a post where it is a work in progress. Please return to this page to see updates 🙂

11 March, 2025

The sunbirds are back building a new nest (far right vine). I hope it will be completed soon! 🥰

14 March 2025
So, each time a Sunbird couple’s chick grows up, they leave the nest behind. The last couple left a fully intact nest but over time the vine it was built on withered.

One day, it fell. I was a little superstitious and it felt like a shame to get rid of it, so I kept it. (Don’t laugh.) Then, a new sunbird couple started building a new nest on a different vine. I thought to myself: Won’t it be nice if they didn’t have to fly so far to gather their supplies and reuse the old nest?

So, I placed the next on the branches of a shrub near the nest. I noticed that they liked to perch there from time to time, so I hoped that they would notice the old nest and reuse it.

It worked! They started picking apart the old nest and using the materials to build the new nest. The old nest is now half its size. Nature at work is so beautiful!

15 March, 2025

Sunbirds recycle 😆🤭

I placed an old nest on the shrub and now its just taking it apart to build a new nest. Aren’t they clever?

Feeling semi proud that I got the idea of placing the old nest in the bush where the current sunbirds couple likes to hang out. Seeing them peck at the old nest and fly the bits that they have from it to the new nest is really satisfying 😆

Previous visitations

Their first visitation in 2022: When sunbirds built a nest in my balcony

#seedling #Sunbird #Sunbirds

So, each time a Sunbird couple's chick grows up, they leave the nest behind. The last couple left a fully intact nest but over time the vine it was built on withered. One day, it fell. I was a little superstitious and it felt like a shame to get rid of it, so I kept it. (Don't laugh.) Then, a new sunbird couple started building a new nest on a different vine. I thought to myself: Won't it be nice if they didn't have to fly so far to gather their supplies and reuse the old nest? So, I placed the next on the branches of a shrub near the nest. I noticed that they liked to perch there from time to time, so I hoped that they would notice the old nest and reuse it.
It worked! They started picking apart the old nest and using the materials to build the new nest. The old nest is now half its size. Nature at work is so beautiful!

#Birds #Sunbirds #BirdsOfFediverse #BirdsOfMastodon

"We are not aid workers, but a group of athletes that knows how to make things happen in Gaza. We launched this community aid campaign to provide essentials to our communities. Our network of Staff, Athletes and Volunteers work together to secure and distribute resources across the South of the Gaza Strip."

https://gazasunbirds.org/

#mutualaid #gaza #sunbirds
#feedPalestine 🇵🇸 ♿ 🕊️