Believe it or not, despite what the birds are seeing on this window, there are surprisingly few window strikes here and those that have occurred are almost never fatal. I think the fact that the tree is so close to the window helps to keep the birds from hitting at full speed.Anyway, as soon as I saw this little bird, I put the butterfly net over him to make sure I could rescue him. He didn't resist the net at all and I was easily able to scoop him up and give him a quick physical examination which revealed no obvious trauma or broken bones. His loud squawks indicated he was pretty aware of his situation, so I was confident that he wasn't injured seriously.
I admitted him to St. Alegria for a short convalescent period.
After about 10 minutes in the warm, dark and safe confines of St. Alegria, juvenile Cedar Waxwing was ready to be released.
After opening my hand, this youngster quickly winged his way to the top of the nearest evergreen tree. There are plenty of Cedar Waxwings hanging around the backyard this time of year, so hopefully he'll be reunited with his family soon. And just maybe, he learned a valuable lesson about staying away from my dining room window!
8 comments:
Good job, Ruthie. I liked the St. Alegria touch.
You run a very good birdie hospital!
Yay, Ruthie! I'm happy that St Alegria's was able to provide such good care.
Even with all the nice glass hanging in the window that's a pretty outdoorsy reflection.
Nice save, Ruthie!
Thanks Donna.
I try Judy.....fortunately, the hospital doesn't have to admit patients very often.
Thanks Lynne. The best thing about this was being able to hold a Cedar Waxwing (one of my favorite birds!) in my hand.
I know Gaelyn. I tend to forget about it, but seeing this photo makes me realize how bad it is. There generally aren't any hard strikes unless a hawk makes a surprise pass through the backyard and then it's the patio door on the other side that usually gets struck.
Thanks Meggie.
Nurse Ruthie.... good job!
A little late with my thanks to St. Alegria and Nurse Ruthie! What a beautiful (and lucky) bird. And your trip to the Midwestern Bird Symposium sounded and looked like a lot of fun! And Chet Baker in your lap! I'm jealous. He is one top-notch celebrity.
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