Olive-backed Sunbirds nesting in our balcony

I was too busy in the past 2 months...I should post out this much earlier around 2nd week of May when they just started to build the nest in our office coffee room... The Olive-backed Sunbird, also known as the Yellow-bellied Sunbird, is a common species of sunbird found in Singapore. often were found perched on my flowering ShuiMei plants outside the window. We have a few green plants in our office coffee room ,  A pair of couple sunbirds built their nest on a money tree (pachira plant),  I was busy following up on their status, watching and photographing the sunbirds nesting...

Sunbirds form monogamous pairs.  See my sunbird nest pictured on the left? It was built pretty quickly – in just about one week time.

They built a hanging flask-shaped nest with an overhanging porch at the entrance, and a trail of hanging material at the bottom end. Materials used include plant fibers, mosses, dried leaves and even cotton wool, thread and some plant material.



It is very interesting, they even know to pull a  leaf to cover their nest...

...the nest was almost built.

It took another one week time, finally I saw the work done, the nest look very solid, but the birds disappeared, I had not seen them for about one week time...I was wondering where they go and why they haven't laid egg yet, "maybe they divorce? " my friend was joking.   

I took a picture of close up of the nest, it is really amazing. The nest is lined with soft fluffy seeds (all kinds) and some fur, I find them took my cotton which I left somewhere near the plant, they used them for the inner lining of the nest!  The outside of the nest is decorated with lichens, dried leaves and some seed cases. Nature works in amazing ways…

It is a very beautiful bird nest, I was thinking to bring them down as a decoration if the birds never come back again. I was check on them every day...And one morning, I heard the birds sound again out side the window, and two of them kept coming in and out...

I never seen any of them siting inside the nest for long periods of time, most of the mornings I heard them singing out side the window and flying in and out...I believe they laid the egg already...I looked inside the nest but unfortunately the eggs were too deep inside for me to see.

I was about to give up checking on them, I though they are a couple of birds dont want baby bird, Lols. One day morning, you guess what I heard? I heard the sound of the baby bird came from the nest, it was very weak, but ya, it was the baby bird.

The little bird was totally devoid of feathers. It resembled a naked brown red thing with bulging black eyes that do not open till about one week later? It really looks odd.

One bird inside the nest only. It was hiding quite deep inside the nest, I used hand phone to take a picture...I think it was about a few days old?

...pictured after three weeks time, and then suddenly it flew out from the nest when I was trying to use my Iphone to take some close up images...