HOMEGROWN

BIRD NERDS

A MAKESHIFT BIRD FEEDER AND A PLAN TO STAVE OFF ZOOM FATIGUE SPAWNED A LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS. — LAUREN FISHER

NNATHAN HENDRICKS WAS STUCK AT HIS DESK. Like so many others exiled from the offi ce during the pandemic, the graphic designer found himself glued to a dizzying loop of video calls and work-from-home distractions. At least he’d had the foresight to set up his workspace in front of a window so he could look out over his patio and the surrounding woods of College Hill. But you can only look at the same trees for so long. So as a self-described “sanity move” to combat Zoom fatigue, Hendricks bolted a pole to a bird feeder, stuck it to a Christmas tree stand, and set the contraption up on his patio. “It was janky,” he admits, “but eff ective.” It wasn’t long before he was sketching the birds that showed up on his makeshift feeder, using wood, fabrics, and objects from around the house to add his own twist. His fi rst creation was a cardinal, which he dressed up in a red knit sweater, using plaid 2 1

fabric for its wings and tail.

Over time, the bird sketches got more complicated—even common sparrows have intricate color and texture combinations, Hendricks says—but he was hooked. Watch the birds for long enough, and you’ll see their personalities emerge. “Cardinals are cranky introverts,” he says. “Chickadees are industrious and in a hurry. Song sparrows are chill and friendly. They’re all diff erent, but they hang out together on a feeder and mostly get along and mind their manners— like they’re adhering to a bird etiquette.”

That theory stuck. Today, Hendricks and his wife, Jean, are the team behind Bird Etiquette, a digital storefront selling madeto-order clothing and home goods. Within the couple’s online JOIN THE FLOCK store, you’ll fi nd ev1: Swatches of a tufted erything from sta-titmouse 2: Chickadee tote bag tionery and coast3: Stemless tumblers in cardinal, chickadee, and wren ers to baseball caps, shower curtains, and throw pillows. The stemless wine tumblers and tote bags are fan favorites, and the business recently partnered with a Lithuanian startup to put hand-painted Bird Etiquette designs on candles.

Along the way, Hendricks says, Jean caught the bird bug. Armed with a camera and an old zoom lens, she captures photos of local birds and posts them to Instagram, where Bird Etiquette has discovered an enthusiastic audience of “bird nerds.” She’s cataloged an impressive 119 diff erent species so far. “The whole bird thing started out as my thing,” Hendricks says. “Now it’s something we can do together.”