On my front porch, I have a barn swallow nest. I wrote about it a few weeks ago here. The swallows have recently hatched another clutch of four shown in the picture to the left. Tonight as I watched the chicks waiting to be fed by their parents, I realized some parallels.
The chicks are always hungry. They are waiting urgently for food. If they think that food is coming, they stretch forward with all of their energy, crying for attention with mouths wide open. They are unable to get their own food and must wait for it to be hand (beak?)-delivered. The parents put the food directly into their mouths in a manner akin to a lion tamer putting his head inside the mouth of the great feline. It is up to the parents to make sure that all are fed enough.
