MiT, 1st senior, day 19; Gocco Quickie class

Nothing different to report on my watercolor session with senior #1. Still fussing with the 2nd watercolor. With the 1st watercolor, she had no expectations and she created something she continues to love. But now she has expectations and it's a different story.

Continued to trim papers for my Rock Star senior's book. I'm determined to finish printing it all this weekend, except for maybe the cover. Then next week, I sew!

Tonight was my first attempt at the Gocco Quickie class, an one hour gocco class. Well, I couldn't quite do it in an hour; it was an hour and half before we finished. So now I know.

The Birds

The female is hanging around the nest a lot more today, but I don't think she's laid any eggs yet, since she flew off around 7:30pm and I haven't seen her since. Or maybe she's laying eggs but won't sit on them until she's done laying. So this is what birdweb.org says about their nesting habits:

House Finches are monogamous, and pairs tend to form while the birds are in their winter flocks. Some pairs may stay together year round. They choose a wide variety of nesting sites, and will nest in man-made objects such as window ledges and holes in buildings. Ivy growing on buildings or trees creates many nesting sites. Nests may also be located in conifer trees, hanging planters, and old nests of other birds. The first requirement is a solid base with some overhanging material. The female builds most of the nest, which is an open cup of grass, weeds, twigs, leaves, and rootlets, lined with feathers and other fine material. The female incubates 4 to 5 eggs for 13 to 14 days while the male brings her food. The female broods the young for the first few days after they hatch, and the male continues to bring food. The female then joins the male in bringing food to the young. The young leave the nest after 12 to 15 days and may be fed by the male for about two more weeks, while the female starts a second clutch. Pairs may raise three or more broods each season.

And identify.whatbird.com says the eggs are blue and lavender! Here's a picture from wikipedia:



If she lays that many eggs, I wonder if the tumbleweed will hold? Those weedy branches aren't that strong, although I guess there's a mass of them.

I read somewhere else that the female lays 1 egg a day over several days, and may start incubating from day 1, or may delay incubating until she's done. There was something about how she can control/select the size/sex of the chicks. But now I can't find the article again and can't remember exactly what it said.

And about making those omelets, here's an article about finches eating their own eggs.