Alan's pet Barbets

Calling wild birds your pets is not technically accurate, but Alan really loves the Black-collared barbets that have chosen our Jacaranda tree for their nesting hole. We first noticed them chipping away at their hole in September 2022. It didn't take too long before the two birds had made a perfect round hole in one of the stumps in the tree, and were excavating the inside of the nest. The amount of sawdust that collected at the base of the tree was phenomenal! Amazing also, how quickly they managed to make this nest, with only their beaks to excavate. Nature is incredible.

Well, fast forward to February 2023 and we had babies!! It was so exciting. Checking on them a couple of times a day, just to make sure they were still there. At one stage we had five barbets living in the same nest. They completely dominated the fig tree next to the Jacaranda, chasing every other bird away until they had their fill. It really is the perfect location, with plenty of their favourite food around to feed their young.

And then, just like that, in April, they were gone! We have no idea what happened, but the nest was abandoned. We were devastated! You could still hear their distinctive call in the area, and every now and then you could tell they were in the Jacaranda, but no-one moved in again. What did we do wrong? We just couldn't figure out why they left.

Imagine our surprise when, about six months later, we heard them in the Jacaranda on a regular basis again. They popped in, checked out the nest, and then left again. Just to be back later on the same day, or even a day or two later, checking it out again.

Alan had a plan! The fig season was over, and winter was setting in, so he had to do something to encourage the barbets to stay. Enter the humble apple! We put some spikes on the jacaranda, and put an apple on there for them to feed on, hoping for the best. Well what do you know, they like apples! So do the starlings and the hornbills, but the apples were enough to feed their young during May this year, and to keep them strong during winter. They even pop their heads out of the nesting hole when Alan greets them in the morning now.

We couldn't be happier, long may it last! The fig tree is full of fruit now, and that's just the first crop. No green fig preserve this year, the figs are for the birds! Oh, and they're definitely sitting on eggs at the moment :)