This Bird Has Flown

Picture at right: The remaining baby bird just before leaving the nest.

UPDATE: I learned that my two birds are female Purple Finches. I saw one this morning (July 1) on my roof accompanied by two young males with the purple-red heads. Later she came and sat on one of the bars of the gazebo after I called to her.

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In an earlier post I wrote about the bird nest in my backyard gazebo and how I became acquainted with the whole bird family, the mom, pop and two baby birds. Due to the red coloring on the father bird, I am pretty sure they are Purple Finches.

Alas, my little birds are gone. They’ve grown up and left the nest. On Tuesday morning I looked out the kitchen window and saw one of them on the roof of the gazebo, chirping away. She soon flew away and I have seen her no more.

Her sister, however, remained in the nest, reluctant to leave. On Wednesday, I stayed home from work and read in the gazebo. When I peeked into the nest, the remaining bird became frightened of me and flew out of the nest and into the mesh netting that encloses the gazebo. I put my hand under her and she briefly sat on my finger before flapping away again, halted by the mesh and sort of hovering there, chirping softly. This time I gently scooped her up with both my hands. She immediately quieted down and showed no fear, and I walked her back to the nest and placed her in it. She settled down and promptly went to sleep.

The next morning, Thursday, I became worried that this remaining bird might starve because she would not leave the nest. I tried to give her a piece of bread, but this just spooked her again and she flew out of the nest against the mesh again. I briefly touched her, but she slipped through the opening at the top of the mesh and flew chirping towards a tall, leafy tree in a neighbor’s back yard, a tree filled with other birds. So she has now left the nest too.

I looked in the nest last night to see if she might have returned, but she hasn’t. I miss the little birds. I am suffering from “empty nest syndrome”….literally. But I am at least pleased that the two birds grew up well and have successfully assumed life on their own. Now when I sit in the backyard to read, I will look at every Finch and wonder if it is one of my birds. It’d be nice if they'd visit once in a while or at least shoot me an email. Kids! They're all the same.