The Broody Bunch

I was enjoying a quiet evening reading a fabulous book I borrowed from the library (more on that later), when a strange “thump” came from the window.  Little Maiden’s sun catcher that she made in Sunday School swung mysteriously on the inside of the window.  Immediately I knew that some poor bird had just knocked herself silly on my reflective window!

Sure enough.  When I stepped out on the porch, I saw a tiny bird sprawled upside-down on my porch.  I stooped to see if she was still alive.  I saw that she was breathing rapidly so I gently put my hand out to help her right herself.  As soon as I touched her she flapped and turned over.  She seemed dazed and was holding her beak open to breathe.

I hurried for my camera and started taking pictures.  She was such a pretty little bird and it’s so rare to see one so close.  She was smaller than a chickadee and was mostly gray, white, and black.  But she had a brilliant yellow cap and yellow on her wings that contrasted sharply with her black beak and beady eyes.  She also had a reddish-brown stripe that ran down both sides of her white belly, just under her folded wings.

I wanted to give her the best chance for recovery and I knew the porch was not the best place to leave her.  So I gently nudged my finger under her feet.  She picked up one foot and grasped my finger and then the other foot.  She was holding her left eye closed.  She must have had a monstrous headache in that tiny head!

The bird made no move to fly away so I took her to our flowering crab apple tree.  I tried to place her on a twig but she faltered.  She fluttered and clung to leaves until at last she settled on the tree trunk.

I called my mother for advice.  She’s nursed poor little senseless birds before.  We decided that my little bird would probably be okay.  Ten minutes later she was still on the tree.  Twenty minutes after that she was gone.

Mom and I spent several minutes on the phone trying to determine what kind of bird she was.  Mom’s first guess was a Warbler.  She was right!  By comparing my pictures to others on the internet, I’ve found that my little bird was a Chestnut-sided Warbler.