Home»Portola Valley Ranch, Windy Hill, Etc.»7/1/2020 Hunger

New life. Hunger.

A baby bluebird chick is hungry all the time. Looking out from the snug nest high in an oak tree, deep in a hollow, it calls for more. When a parent approaches, the chick's beak opens wide, presenting a prominent target, and a demand of the approaching parent: more food! The bright orange contrasts with the camouflage of the rest of the chick; it is revealed only when the food-laden parent approaches.

The parent feels deep, driven hunger as well. That open maw must be filled! And it does feel good, to put more grubs into that open mouth, to succor the hungry chick once again. Then, off to find more food.

Both parents stay busy at this task for several days.

Mary Hufty alerted me to this drama, near the hitching post at the Portola Valley Town Center. If you check out the times of the photos, you will notice that I have pieced together a narrative from several different feeding instances, involving both parents, over several minutes. There is a certain repetitive nature to this feeding behavior. The cycle of hunger, pleading, temporary satisfaction, then more hunger -- this cycle repeats.

What is your hunger?