During Spring, the Brown Honeyeater decided that a Lilli Pilli in a pot near the verandah at my besties house was a great place to build a nest. It gave me an opportunity to have a sneak peek into the life of Brown Honeyeaters.
Sitting on the verandah, having a cup of tea, we noticed a small bird flying in and out of the Lilli Pilli tree in a pot near the verandah. I had to go and see what was going on. I found the start of the nest construction. They must have been doing it for a few days before we saw the goings on. Both the female and the male were building the nest.
A few days later the nest was taking shape.
All manner of vegetation – grass, bark, lichen and spiders web was used. 
This is the location of the nest.
Looks like I was spotted!
Off she goes to gather more materials.
Every now and then she would wiggle about in the nest to get the shape right.
She was in there for a long time this day. I think she was laying an egg.
Yes! I was right, an egg is in the nest. It is so small. Probably about a thumb nail size.
A few days later another egg appeared.
It didn’t take long for some chicks to make an appearance. I missed out getting any photos when they were small pink chicks. A rather nasty storm was coming so my bestie dragged the pot onto the verandah. Luckily she did as the wind blew hard, the rain poured down and there was a bit of hail.
Now comes the hard work for the parents. Both the female and the male were constantly flying back and forth with food for their babies.
Ooops….looks like I was spotted again.
Chick one gets a morsel.
and then chick two.
Part of being a parent is cleaning up after your children. This is the removal of what I call a poo sac. This keeps the nest clean and stops insects, mainly ants, getting into the nest.
They are getting bigger. When I approached, they would flatten themselves against the sides of the nest.
After a busy day looking after the chicks, it’s good to have a bath and relax.
Unfortunately I missed out on the chicks leaving the nest. It didn’t take long from eggs to flying little birds.
I think I am lucky to be part of the Brown Honeyeaters life. They have all gone from my besties garden now. Off on their migratory path to a new place for Summer and I hope they come back next year. We are going to leave the nest in place to see what may happen.
