December 20, 2007 in Keepers Log, More Logbook

Chickadee close encounter

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While tidying up the kitchen, I heard a thump at the window. I put my face close to a window pane and looked down. On the snow below was a chickadee, stunned. I went outside to check on the bird. It stood with its beak agape and its wings outspread, looking like it just had the wind knocked out of it. After an interminable length of time, the tiny bird eventually caught its breath and started to preen its feathers. I scooped the chickadee up in my hand to get it off the cold snow. I wanted to examine the extent of its injuries and to keep it warm while it recovered. Standing on my open palm, the bird made two short hops to perch on my forearm. Just then, Bill rounded the corner with his camera. “Now that’ll make a nice photo!” Bill lives nearby and makes the lighthouse part of his daily walk. Bill snapped a photo from a distance before moving closer to get a better shot. As he approached, the chickadee hopped up on my shoulder, like a parody of a parrot perched on a pirate. Eventually, the bird regained its bearings and flew off into the brush, obviously uninjured.




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