Diary of an Empty Nester
You might wonder how someone without kids could be an empty nester. Last Friday, the last of the Violet Green Swallow fledglings left the nest box, and the silence is lonely. I grew accustomed to hearing the chirps of each hatchling as, one at a time, they spent their days in the doorway of the nest box, calling to their parents from dawn until dusk. When something is so present from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. for days on end, you get used to it. When it suddenly goes, the silence is deafening.
I’m still not exactly sure how many hatchlings there were, but it was about two weeks of seeing a face at the nesting box door. Who knows how long each one stayed there, blocking the entry and taking every bite of food delivered by the mom and dad. There were a few times I saw swallows swooping around above the tree, whom I assume were other fledglings, since the parents were busy catching insects to feed their hungry babies. There were also plenty of curious nuthatches bopping around in the tree and even sitting on top of the nesting box now and then.
I realize this is at least my third post devoted to birding, and I’m sure some of my other posts mention birds. Even though watching them distracts me from work I should be doing, there’s something incredibly relaxing about having so much nature around.
The Rufous Hummingbirds showed up early this year and have been dive-bombing the Broadtail Hummingbirds that try to drink from my two feeders. I love that the female Broadtails trust me enough to buzz around the flowers I planted in pots on the deck for minutes at a time, even with me sitting three feet away with a cat in my lap. They know I will protect them, and my presence keeps the Rufous at bay for at least a little while.
The bird bath saw a flurry of activity last week during some particularly hot days. Besides the Robins, who were the only ones I saw bathing early in the season, there have been a group of Red-Breasted Nuthatches (I think), a Northern Flicker, and some sparrows. There were days when I cleaned and refilled it a few times to keep everyone happy.
The decrease in activity signals that summer is coming to a close soon. There are no more nests to watch. I’m left wondering which birds might move in next summer, which feels so far away. It has been a joy to watch the swallows with their fast swooping flights, so I’m hopeful they will return next year. The hummingbirds should be around for a while longer, and of course there are always Mountain Chickadees in the trees.
Monday night, while outside with the dogs, I heard an owl. The Merlin app identified the sound as a Great Horned Owl. After we came inside, Tessie and I stood on the deck for a bit to listen to the hoots coming from somewhere up the crag behind the house.
As the hustle and bustle of summer winds down, I’ll keep listening and watching, hoping to catch glimpses of the wonderful world of birds.