Nuthatches and timber doodles: Seventh-grader tells all about birds at Salisbury Central School

SALISBURY — Emma Sisk, a seventh-grader at Salisbury Central School, knows about birds.

She spoke at the Scoville Memorial Library Saturday, May 20 and immediately launched into a detailed look at the dark-eyed Junco.

They are prevalent in northwest Connecticut during the winter because they come from an even less hospitable climate, she explained.

And if that’s not enough for identification purposes, the birds have two white stripes on their tails.

Sisk, showing considerable presence of mind, sailed through a brief technical difficulty with the slide show without missing a beat.

The difficulty was resolved quickly as she noted that the European starling, seen widely in spring, is not a native bird to the area.

And if anyone was wondering about the story behind the white-breasted nuthatch’s name, Sisk said it’s because the birds crack nuts against trees.

They also climb headfirst down trees, and have a call that sounds as if the bird is “maniacally laughing at you.”

Sisk began by explaining that her interest in birds began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She went on walks with her family to look at birds, and watched bird talks online.

She connected with Bethany Sheffer at the Sharon Audubon Center, who shared her knowledge and experience. Sisk is now a volunteer at Sharon Audubon.

Recently, Sisk helped put up a purple martin complex on the campus of The Hotchkiss School.

Back to the birds. Sisk noted, with evident amusement, that common nameds for the American woodcock are “bog suckers” or “timber doodles.”

And as for the ruby-throated humming bird, she said that it is the only hummingbird native to Connecticut.

“If you see another one, I’m really jealous, and it’s really lost.”