Kevin Mahon and Alice Phua’s 12th-floor balcony in Claremont in Perth’s western suburbs is home to more than just the friendly couple.
For the past two years, a family of brown honeyeaters have been nesting in their potted ficus tree, completely calm and not bothered by their nearness to the people living inside.
Just 30 centimetres and a pane of glass separate the birds from the couple.
The proximity of the nest has allowed the pair to witness some rare and extraordinary things as the adult honeyeaters have nested, laid eggs and then raised their babies each spring.
“It was amazing,” Ms Phua said.
“It felt very special. [We’re] honoured to have the experience and opportunity to watch all this at such close range.”
Mr Mahon said as well as watching the birds feed their young, one of the more unique things they had got to witness was what appeared to be ‘nappy changing’.
“We can see the mother or the father bird pick up a white sack, sometimes out of the nest, but often directly out of the backside of the little bird, this white sack that contains the poo, and then take it away,” he said.
“And on a couple of occasions, they dropped the sack, and the parents came back and recovered it and took it away to keep the place tidy.”
Balcony dangerous schoolroom for chicks
Mr Mahon said the baby birds had all been named by them. The latest are called Hercules and Henrietta.
Last year’s two chicks were called Hazel and Henry.
The pair watched them grow and start to learn to fly, but a balcony 12 floors up is a dangerous schoolroom for fledging birds.
“Hazel and Henry grew up, and we knew they were going to fly soon because they were very big,” he said.
“The parents were encouraging them to get out of the nest and go to the edge of the balcony.
“Hazel, unfortunately, launched into about a 20-knot wind, so I assumed it wouldn’t have been an easy first flight.
“We went downstairs, and there was Hazel, rolled up in a ball on the asphalt out the front of the building.”
The couple was relieved to find her safe but worried about returning her to the nest.
“She looked shell-shocked,” Ms Phua said.
“What do I do with her? Do I pick her up because her parents may not return if they smell me on her.
“But otherwise, if I leave her here, she’s a goner.”
Thankfully, she said, the adult honeyeaters returned only hours after Hazel was returned to the nest.
[bird in tree]
‘A caring couple’
The pair have taken on the role of guardians of the nest and have even called naturalist and wildlife educator Eric McCrum for first aid advice late at night.
“They’re clearly a caring and lucky couple to have the nest so close to them,” he said.
“Honeyeaters are opportunistic, so will nest anywhere they think is safe and free of predators.
“A balcony with shelter from the rain and predatory birds is a sensible choice to raise chicks.”
Birds become local celebrities
The couple’s neighbours and friends have also delighted in the birds.
“[The nest] has become a celebrity,” Mr Mahon said.
“It’s a local social event, so we should have charged money for it.”
The adult honeyeaters have been keeping a regular schedule of appearing on the balcony at the same time each year, but they leave when the chicks have grown up.
Mr Mahon and Ms Phua said they had their fingers crossed and cameras at the ready for when the brown honeyeaters hopefully returned to nest again next year.
“We enjoy looking at them grow and learn so much,” Mr Mahon said.
“We’ll miss them when they’re gone.”
