Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 week 22

Sketching the Pandemic Year 2020 week 22 : May 24-30

It’s nesting and incubation time for this little flyer -soon the mama will be grounded for a few weeks! Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus couple built a nest in our thyme pot - right by the kitchen window.  That gave me a great spot to watch the birds gather sticks and build the nest ( well hidden at first glance), the male feeding the female while the eggs were being incubated, and then the hectic activity by the parents bringing in worms & insects for their babies. It was indeed amazing to watch the dedication of the parent birds and the steady growth of chicks to maturity. The competing beaks of the chicks were a sight to see! They kept me entertained and in awe for days.  In the end I really missed them once the chicks learned to fly. I only saw them a few times after that while the parents still fed them as the chicks perched on near by branches with practically their mouth open as they waited for the parents. By the time the birds were done and the babies flew the nest though the thyme plant was long dead !!!

That flight jacket in the photo for Smithsonian Engagement Calendar 2020 week of May 24-30 belonged to Sally Ride, who in 1983 became the first American Woman in space when she flew on the STS-7 shuttle mission.  The caption for the photo explains : ‘Shuttle astronauts wore flight jackets to work and for public appearances, and the decorations told the wearer’s story. The round patch on the right side of the jacket signifies that Ride was one of 35 astronauts selected for the first space shuttle program in 1978. The patch on the right arm is the mission patch for Ride’s second trip to space STS-410 in 1984, the first mission to include two women:Ride and Kathryn D Sullivan.’

Carolina wren building a nest by Meera Rao