CONDON’S CORNER
On Father’s Day: Memories of a Wonderful Father
© Marlene A. Condon 2025 All Rights Reserved
Carolina Wrens are superb parents, feeding and protecting their chicks both in the nest and for a few weeks after they leave.
For as long as I can
remember, I’ve had an interest in the natural world. My earliest memories of my
maternal grandparents’ farm include a Red Fox in the driveway one evening when
my family arrived, and the plethora of wildflowers along the road as we walked
to a wild blueberry patch to pick some of these fruits for breakfast.
By the time I was six years
old and had finished first grade, my family moved from the big city to a small
town of only about 10,000 people. It was the perfect place for me to grow up;
farms and wild places were nearby so I was able to indulge my love of nature.
With no streetlights along
our road, I was able to view the night sky in all its glory, unobscured by artificial
lighting. My father would keep me company as I taught myself the constellations
and made my first “scientific” notes for further reference.
My fascination with the stars
and galaxies meant I needed a small telescope to further my pursuits, and I also
took an avid interest in the new (at that time) efforts by mankind to reach
outer space and eventually the Moon. My father played a key role in assisting
my learning in these areas.
I recall the day he brought
home a book on astronomy for me. I had read everything in our school library by
the third grade and keenly wanted to know more. Thus, I was absolutely thrilled
to get that book, and it has traveled with me to every place I have lived and
resides now in my office book case.
It’s a fond, physical
reminder of how well my father paid attention to my interests and assisted me
to learn—despite the fact that he himself had not even been able to finish high
school. My understanding is that he needed to quit school to help support his many
siblings. And yet, despite the fact my dad never earned a high school diploma, he
very much encouraged my own learning, for which I can’t praise him enough.
In addition to buying me my
first book on astronomy, he also never missed the chance to purchase the
numerous space stamps put out by the Post Office to commemorate American
astronauts traveling into space. I thoroughly appreciated all of his efforts on
my behalf to assist me in learning about our universe.
Additionally, my father was
well aware of my love of nature. Thus, whenever he needed to visit his dentist
an hour or so away from home, he would bring me with him to enjoy the ride
through the countryside. I loved viewing the woods we travelled by and getting
the opportunity to see wildlife.
My father passed away long
ago, but I’ll never forget the wonderful opportunities he gave me to further my
learning of the natural world. In fact, I can’t help but think of him every
year as I keep tabs upon my Carolina Wrens. The male of this species very much
reminds me of my father, as he’s always there to assist with the chicks. In
this sense, my father was the ideal dad.
In spring, a Carolina Wren
finds a female with which he will remain steadfast and true until he or she
dies. He shows her the local nesting sites and even builds an almost complete
nest in each location. The female gets to pick her favorite spot and completes
the nest the male started there.
She lays one egg per day,
which both wrens keep tabs on until the female lays the final one. She
immediately begins to incubate all of them on that same day. She’ll lay five
eggs for the first nesting of the season, then four eggs, and finally three
eggs for the final nesting.
The female leaves the eggs
occasionally to feed herself, although the male also brings her food as she
keeps the eggs warm. After the eggs hatch, both wrens feed the chicks, taking
good care of them until they are ready to fly the coop.
The chicks usually all leave
on the same day, but sometime a chick isn’t ready and remains overnight in the
nest. After being fed a little bit the next morning, it’s then enticed to leave
as the parents call it while also tending to the young chicks that’ve already
fledged.
The parents are kept quite
busy feeding their family, and every evening they herd the chicks into one spot
where they can sleep together. The parents leave to sleep elsewhere, and return
at dawn to feed their young and get them back out into the world. Those babies
have a lot to learn so there’s no time to waste.
Like the male Carolina Wren,
my dad was the perfect parent.
DISCLAIMER:
Ads appearing at the end of e-mail blog-post notifications are posted by follow.it as recompense for granting free usage of their software at the author's blog site. The author of this blog has no say in what ads are posted and receives no monetary compensation other than the use of the software.
No comments:
Post a Comment