by Linda Gilbert
“Empty-Nest Syndrome” is the loneliness many parents feel when
their offspring “fledge” from the home. It might also be defined as
the feeling of emptiness one experiences after a Brown-headed Nuthatch and 282
birders depart to lead their separate lives. It is much quieter around
the house now, except of course, for our bird feeders, which are still as
popular as ever.
From November 21, 2001 until January 15, 2002, we enjoyed the
company of this special little misplaced nuthatch and the many folks who came
to the house to see it. After one frustrating week in November when the bird
didn’t appear at all, it finally settled into a regular daily routine in
December and January, putting on a good show for anyone who wanted to see it. I saw
the nuthatch for the last time in the late afternoon on Jan. 15. It flew off
to the south. Hopefully, it returned safely to its appropriate range and
habitat.
Out of the total number of folks who signed the guest book,
approximately 234 of them were able to view the nuthatch. People came from
Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania as well as from
distant parts of Ohio. It was fun to watch the various reactions of people
when they first saw the bird. A woman who was watching from inside the house
almost had her face plastered against the kitchen window when the nuthatch was
on the feeder picking through the sunflower seeds. A few other people
exchanged “high-fives.” Another lady, observing from the backyard, was
jumping up and down while tugging on her husband’s sleeve and pointing at the
bird. A few minutes later, at the kitchen table, she embarrassingly
admitted that her enthusiasm sometimes scared things away. The nuthatch, however,
didn’t seem to mind. One gentleman commented that some birders don’t
believe rare bird sightings until they see for themselves. Moments later, when
the nuthatch suddenly appeared on the feeder, he exclaimed, “It IS a
Brown-headed Nuthatch!” Another birder left a note saying that he came on
Christmas morning and got his “Christmas present” within 10 minutes of
arriving. Many birders came twice to see the bird so that they could claim it
on both the 2001 and 2002 bird lists. Other people visited more than once
just for the pleasure of seeing it again. Some birders were challenged to
try and get a glimpse of all three nuthatch species on the feeder at the same
time. Only a handful of people were actually lucky enough to join the
“triple crown club.” Someone else commented about a possible caption for a
picture of all three of them together. It would read, “Where are we?” The only
time I was fortunate enough to see all three nuthatches together was when
I had the vacuum cleaner in my hands instead of the camera!
Another interesting aspect of this adventure was the abundance
of gifts, which were bestowed upon us in appreciation for the chance to
get a look at the little bugger. People brought bags of birdseed, suet, an
upside-down suet feeder (the woodpeckers love it-actually, so did the nuthatch),
a jar of honey, tea, snacks, a six pack of beer, home-made candy, a
home-made candle, Apollo’s Fire opera tickets, framed pictures of the bird, a
Christmas ornament with a hand-painted picture of the Brown-headed
Nuthatch on it, and many lovely Christmas cards and thank-you notes. My family and
I were certainly surprised by all the gifts, and every one of them was
put to good use-my dad, of course, enjoyed the beer! Oh, and in case
anybody is wondering if we would do this again now that we know exactly how
fanatical birders are, the answer is “you betcha!”
PS. At the beginning of March 2002, I received a letter from
the Ohio Bird Records Committee in Columbus saying that they voted to accept
the Brown-headed Nuthatch as an official state record-chalk up
another one for Ohio!
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