The death of this chick is such a tragic end to the story. Of course, we cannot say 100% whether this was related to the activity around the nest, but also we cannot say that for sure that those present close to the nest are 100% innocent. Maybe if the nest had been left undisturbed, the chick could have flown safely towards to the pond bund (or even swum after it had crashed into the water). Maybe not - we will never know. Thank you to anyone who tried to rescue it from the water.
I have deliberately been keeping away from posting to this forum to avoid inflaming the situation. I have, however, been past the nest on a few occasions this week. On most occasions, the adult drongo has been flying over the pond, calling loudly in obvious distress. This behaviour seems to have been ignored by the people present. Even yesterday, after the death of the chick and with the adult alarm-calling close to the nest, photographers were close to the two remaining chicks as they balanced on samll twigs over the water. Hopefully they will be able to make it to safety.
Of course, I do not condone any violence, nor any bullying tactics employed around this case. I have felt unable to say anything or watch the behaviour of birds around the nest due to the angry on-line exchanges and on-site intimidation. My initial intention was to politely point out the potential risks surrounding disturbance for those who may not have experience of nesting birds. My intention has always been (and remains) to protect the welfare of the birds. I never aimed to prevent people photographing the nest, merely to ask them to consider whether they could have taken photographs from slightly further away or reduced the time they were present to ensure the success of the nest.
I hope others are stopping to assess whether they should feel some degree of responsibility over the sad death of the chick. I know I am considering whether there may have been a different approach that would have prevented such a tragic outcome from occurring. Hopefully with the chicks fledged, the situation will be allowed to calm down.
[ Last edited by ajohn at 25/06/2010 14:11 ]
