Common Flameback-Nesting

Nesting series -

Common Flameback [Woodpecker]

When we, birders are the field, we pay special attention to birds giving away tell tale signs of bird doing their nesting. This is easily confirmed by following them carefully and sometimes "bingo" the destination where they made their frequent flight to, would be the nesting site. That was how Tan spotted this nest and tipped me off.

Spotting the nesting site is one thing as in the case of Wood peckers, most species do not have a visible conventional type of bowl shaped nest. Nests are in hollows within a tree trunk and usually in inaccessible spots, rather high up. That is the fact with Woodpeckers in general.

This time the sighting of the nest for the Flameback astonished me. Very unusual, this nest was in a dead tree trunk in a 8 foot wide divider for parking lots, right in the center of a public car park. The location of the nest would have cars parked just 2/3 feet from the nest. In that vicinity, there were a few rows of long houses, where children would play in the car park in the evening. During working hours, the tools shed for the workers up keeping the park was located at the edge of the car park. Workers would gathered here during the breaks. So there was lots of activities around the vicinity of the nest. I have a picture showing part of the area as the writing progresses.

These considerations puzzled me and made this observation very interesting. Nesting is sensitive, the parents had made daily countless trip through open space to reach the nest with plenty of humans noting their activities. How had the birds coped?

Read my pictorial presentation. Hope you could make out more salient point than I had.

July 28th 2007 - Saturday - Day 1

It is common to see Woodpecker, remaining in one spot for an extended period of time and pecking away. When this pair kept returning back to the port, that's a big tipped off. After an hour or so watching it was easily reassuring myself that they were nesting.

Were the eggs still incubation or were they hatched.

Some clues. e.g. Were the birds in the nest for very long time. Were the birds changing shift etc.

My first day, I saw both birds approaching the nest. There more times the female flew in and entered the nest and remained inside for quite a while. Judging from that length of time. I still could not ascertain that the time spent was adequate for hatching or was she performing other chores within the hollow. "Let me keep track" - for more clues. That was what I thought. The "Day 1" mentioned above should best be taken as the 1st day of my observation.

July 29th - Sunday Day 2

It was a Sunday. Lucky for me though the place was more crowded with MTB making the place as the start off point to do the Kiara Hills circuit. The presence and where about of the "nest" was not recognizable by non-birder. It was a mere hole on the trunk. The Flamebacks, if they were to approach the opening, it would be done in split seconds timing.

This morning, my "more clue" anticipation became a reality. See the pictures, the mother carrying some grub in her mouth. She was entering and could only imply that feeding cycle had commenced. I could assume the day before, Saturday, as Day 1 or more after hatching.

July 30th - Monday Day 3

The conclusion made the previous day made me excited encouraged me to follow through. This time the nest was so near to my house. I could monitor the activities closely.

This Monday, I could see both birds coming in regularly. Their stay inside the nest was approximately 10 -15 minutes. As every action was happening inside the hollow of the tree trunk, I could only speculate. Here is one pictures of the father getting ready to leave the nest. But before that, he surveyed the surrounding - not to attract unwanted attention to the nest. He remembered seeing my presence during his entry into the nest?

July 31st - Tuesday Day 4

The 4th day now I was waiting and watching. Couldn't tell what I am hoping to see. The good feeling of keeping the birds company and watching all its physical movement was good enough incentive to be present punctually.

This day, the scene may be mundane or trivial to many non-birders. To me it was monumental. The father seen removing a feces sag out from the nest. That action says much.

The chick or chicks were alive and their digestive system working well. Fledging were progressing smoothly. Most important seeing the parent performing its parental chores, the Woodpecker's way.

August 1st - Wednesday Day 5

After a few days of watching and not to cause undue stress to the parent, I too was settling down. Found myself a place of good distant from the nest, sitting down and making minimal movements. I got the feeling that birds to were waiting for me to sort out my logistic. e.g. One would bird fly in first.

Perched on the tree next to the trunk holding the nest. With no signal or one I could not make out, the mate would fly in straight to the outside of the nesting port.

Noted:- What the birds did to cope up with the hostile environment, after deciding to have their nesting in public views.

August 4th - Saturday Day 8

I skipped a day on Friday as I was birding in Awana.

This morning the female came in 8.40am & 9.40 am. Reviewing the timing, it looked like clockwork. On the second trip, the female came unescorted.

The male did not show up. By 10.10 am, the babies without their parent were heard calling.

Then at 2.45 pm the male came back to the nest but left soon afterwards.

I was surprised that he returned rather soon too. At 3.05 pm after feeding, he looked out from the nest and spent some time investigating.

I too was curious! Then realized that there was a swarm of Honey Bees, whirling around the nest entrance. The male was discouraging them from the entering.

The 2 pictures for the day showed the male pecking at those bees that came close.

August 5th - Sunday Day 9

The place was more busy with the Sunday activities. I did nothing to attract the attention of the visitors and their curiosity not aroused and no question asked about my presence in the car park.

There were no warning calls by the mate, the birds flew straight into the nest but extra quick in getting away after completing their feeding.

Was it the unusual crowd that made retract their style of cautious approached? Both male and female did the chores of bringing in food.

While the parent did not make their usual calls prior to the approach, this time the chicks called. In fact I was alerted to the imminent showing by the parent through the calls of the chicks. What signal could they hear inside the nest that I did not pick up?

August 6th - Monday Day 10

From yesterday experiences, I decided to stay extra alert, particularly for calls. I was unsuccessful and the mother came. It was a very long time she remained inside the nest. The weather this morning was hazy and I left after seeing the mother off.

The weather got better and I returned in the afternoon. This time I heard very soft calls and a tiny head could be seen through the nest opening.

Something reddish, thought it was that of the father inside the nest.

Then a warning call came from overhead and the father flew into the area. For reasons I could not understand, he called loudly for a good 10 minutes.

The mother flew in too. She choose a low branch next to me, called to attract my attention for about 3 minutes.

Happy with what she found out, she flew straight to the nest. For all those commotion I got my very first shot the mother feeding the chick this afternoon. She left without wasting time.

The male flew down closer to the nest to continue the watch.

August 7th - Tuesday Day 11

This day I saw lots of feeding done. I had my car parked next to the nest and in trying out my new strategy using a net to compliment my car as a make shift hide. The female came landed on the tree. Seeing the car that close, she flew to a branch next to me inspect. Satisfied she returned to the nest to feed. She regurgitated 7 times to keep the two chicks busy. Then she flew off to a distance and gave some signal that I could detect. The male came immediately.

This one was a record, I counted 17 times he regurgitated, that much of food he held in store. he then crept into the nest and spent some time. Came to the opening to check and then out with a mouth full of fecal sags.

Picture on top - I caught the mother with the food that she was withdrawing from herself.

Left side - For the first time too, the baby, a male was resting his head near the opening. This also implied that chicks were strong enough to move within the nest.

August 8th - Wednesday Day 12

I made the notes for this day but I just could not locate the pictures taken inside my archive. For this day, the chicks began showing them selves at the opening. Not only that, they did it very frequently as well. Then I wrote I managed to get a good number of pictures for both chicks.

I was there at the site of the nest in the afternoon. In contrast to the day before, there was no action feeding. Instead the mother was seen on the nearby tree busy preening herself.

August 9th - Thursday Day 13

This was a bad day. The City Council worker eddied to prune off a couple of low branches of nearby tree as part of their own maintenance program. These branches did offer some coverage for the location of the entarnce. Now with the branches gone, the opening to the nest could be seen from all frontal angle.

The parent spooked by the activities, stayed quietly on the nearby tree. Feeding was done very hastily and they waited long time before making any approach.

Picture above - a good view of the surrounding where the nesting site was found. The divider in the middle of the car park.

For the few of us waiting for action during the feeding time it was many many period of long waits.

During the lull, we made pictures of the waiting parents.

Picture right - The birds were not bored like us, but simply taking a very cautious stand for the day.

August 10th - Friday Day 14

This day we saw both chicks appearing at the opening the whole day. The male would stick its head out and surveyed the places outside the nest.

The female chick was more cautious just peeping out through the opening.

The interval in between feeding was much longer than before. Almost as hour between the parent brought food again.

I thought that the parent were still disturbed over the activities that took place around the nest on the day before.

So I returned in the afternoon to check on the trend of feeding.

Again the same trend, feeding frequency was sparse.

The picture showed that parent hanging around the nest in no urgency to look for more food.

Something that I did not know about?

The chicks too were not asking for food either.

In the earlier days, the chicks would be calling loudly prior to the parental arrival.

This day, I could see the male chick almost ready for fledging. Very daring too having his head all the way out from the opening. But not making any call.

Come to thinking about it, when the feeding was curtailed and chicks making appearances -time for fledging must be near.

August 11th - Saturday Day 15

This was another terrible day.

A couple of City Hall's trucks brought in another group of workers to add on to those of the contractors. The car park were swarming with workers

In the afternoon, another pick-up trucks from the public were parked besides the nest.

The birders remained still undisturbed as if nothing was happening.



There were feeding. Following the new trend, it was carried out in a well spaced and far apart manner. With hives of human activities, feeding could be compared as almost instantaneous. In the afternoon session, we saw the father was shuttling from one branch to another calling out loudly. Looked like a signal for the chicks to be prepared for fledging. We too felt that it was almost time too.

August 12th - Sunday Day 16

This could be the big day! We thought. It was a Sunday, the car park was filled with MTBikers. Then a gathering of birders who had followed the progress of this nesting also turned up.

All waiting for the fledging to happen. As past experiences tells us, if it did, it would be in the early hours. Everyone was there by 8.15 am.

All they saw was this female chick now having her head out and investigating the world outside the nest.

With such crowd and the parents taking so much precaution I could move nearer the nest for a peep.

In the morning light for the first time I saw that nest had a window on the other side.

The nest was well ventilated and the chicks could have communicated with the parents through the other opening.

It was too small as a back door entrance or exit but big enough for the head to be stretched outside.

8.30 am came and past and still no fledging.

The parent were around, the chicks took turns to have their head out of the nest.

In fact here you could see this male chick calling for the parent.

An anxious morning for everyone I must say.

Here the pictures shows the female chick's turn to look out.

What would be next?

Flying off or time for the day's feeding?

An hour passed and well into the hours of 9.00 am. Looked like no fledging this day.

The birder and the curious resident who knew what we were up to were also waiting. They were well briefed as not make any gesture of the nesting so that the attention of the causal visitors would not be arouse as to the reason for our gathering.