Silent Summer

It's eerie how a yard usually filled with bird song can seem so silent, so empty. It's almost as if something is wrong. Of course, something did go wrong, as far as my backyard birds were concerned: my family went on a week's vacation.

That's one week without the bird feeders being refilled. One week without fresh nectar for the hummingbirds and the orioles. One week without fresh grape jelly or bark butter. One week of a bone-dry bird bath, its Water Wiggler spinning mindlessly despite the lack of liquid.

At least the blackbird bunch is gone.

But other birds are also notably absent. Upon checking the little wren's nest box yesterday, I found a flattened nest, heavily decorated with bird droppings: the sign of a successful fledgling. All five baby wrens are out now, somewhere in the woods being taught how to hunt for insects by their mom. While I'm happy that the wrens successfully left the nest, I'm sad that I missed their fledging... by just a few days, if my records are correct.

The orioles also seem to have moved on. This is prime migration time for them, as they head down from the harvested orchards up north to the more fruitful states of the south. It doesn't help that someone -- a blackbird or a jay, perhaps? -- knocked the oriole feeder off its hanger. I'll be fixing that, but it might be too late.

Two of the hummingbird feeders also tumbled off their hooks. Since it is close to fledging time for the hummer girls and their nestlings, I'm hopeful that these jewel-colored birds will at least return once I clean and restock their feeders.

As for my bluebirds, they had already fledged and were just starting to come to the feeder when we left. The feeder is still on its shepherd's crook, empty. I wonder if any of the bluebirds will return once I refill it. I'm hoping to catch them at least once more, if not persuade them to roost over during the cold season.

There was one sign that all had not left yet. When the rained cleared up yesterday afternoon, a quintet of barn swallows appeared on the front yard, whirling and swooping away in their usual acrobatic antics. Barn swallows never fail to put a smile on my face, and I'm taking it as a positive omen that these birds are still around. If these insect eaters are still here, perhaps the wrens and bluebirds are as well. As for my seed and nectar eaters, I guess I'll know soon enough.