Evanston: exposed
Evanston: exposed
A line of severe thunderstorms passed through Chicago this morning. There has been light rain intermittently ever since. And now in late afternoon, heavy rain is again falling, and the sky is dark enough so that I’ve turned on living room lights.
Not the best first day to be exposed to the world; but we don’t choose our time, our time chooses us.
Monday evening, the female and male dove left the chick alone in the nest for a half hour.
Tuesday evening he was left alone for an hour and a half.
When I came into the living room this morning, at 5:45 a.m., the female was standing on the balcony railing, looking into the condo. A few minutes later she took off with the male no where in sight. And that was about it.
The chick, now perhaps technically a squab--which oddly also is a word used for boat cockpit cushions--has been alone in the nest each time I’ve checked today, except at 9:30 when the male was sitting on him.
The little bird has developed in the past few days, but he is still small and he looks decidedly unhappy huddled beneath a few flowers, blinking in the rain, without a parent to shield him.
The top photograph was taken when the rain tapered off this morning.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010