In the last few weeks, I set up a page on tumblr, and discovered a very clean interface that made photos of my drawings show very well. That's where I've been just lately, sorry Blogger friends! You can find the link to my tumblr at the right of this page, or HERE. Follow me there if you'd like. But I will resume updates on this blog. It just makes sense, after all this time. I will soon post here a new watercolor I've lately completed.
For now, this narrative to commemorate Memorial Day, and Mother's Day, and the merry month of May.
The first Robin hatched on Mother's Day.
Although the mother had been flighty during the incubation period, easily scared from the nest outside my practice room, once the nestlings were all hatched, it was easy to find a moment when she was gone, hunting for food for the chicks.
Unlike the Bluebirds, evidently, it is left to the mother to raise the brood alone.
In addition to working all day to keep the four nestlings fed, she did housekeeping on her visits to keep them clean of droppings.
On the last day I saw them, 15 days after the first hatch, they were looking very crowded. The weather had turned cool and I hoped they could stay and keep each other warm for just one more day.
On Memorial Day Monday, today, the nest was empty. I couldn't help thinking about all the hard-working mothers, and all the empty nests - about how much I wish that, after all that labor, no mother should have to outlive a child killed in conflict of any kind, nor should any human being be conscripted to fight for others, to possibly lose a life, a limb, or the semblance of well-being. I dedicate my Memorial Day post to peaceful resolutions to conflict.
Wow! These are really good pictures. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDon't really understand this stuff, but "Unknown" above is me, Roger
DeleteHa, thank you Roger! The nest was very near a window, in a rhododendron. The mother was often gone, but never for long. My arrival and positioning myself would be enough disturbance for the chicks to open their mouths in expectation; then I would just wait with my camera in position for the mother to return, which never took long! I have a really nice new camera too, with a Leica lens - the Sony RX 100. It doesn't have the greatest zoom, but a lot of megapixels, so cropping brings things in close and crisp, and it's compact and lightweight.
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