It was Friday afternoon and I was working in my office, in my sweats. Nice and comfy. My wife came running in and said a Goldfinch was down under the bay window. I swung into action immediately. Boots on, jacket and hat (it was sleeting) and for some reason I grabbed my point & shoot.
Our bay window is problematic. It's our preferred watching window for birds and general garden viewing. We've tried various items in the window which help but still we get 4 or 5 strikes a year. I see that there are new products out, so I'll have to look at those. A great site for bird strikes is FLAP; Fatal Light Awareness Program.
Anyhow, out the door. I grabbed an old cardboard box on the porch and skidded carefully along the slippery walk. The bird was lying next to a planter so rather than adding to its stress I put the flattened box over the planter overhanging the bird to provide shelter from the elements. The bird was conscious and breathing and even moving its head. It wasn't a goldfinch so I took a couple of pictures and later identified it as a yellow rumped warbler in non breeding plumage.
The guarding routine is important because we have many cats in the neighborhood and our yard is the most wildlife friendly in the area. Thus it's also a favorite of cats. The task is simple, stand not too near the bird and keep cats away. Of course I was in a spring jacket, lightweight cap and thin sweat pants. And hiking boots. Who says I'm not fashion aware?
I got cold very quickly so I did a quick scan around the area and found no sign of cats outside. (Cats are smarter than me.) I made it about 20 minutes and ducked inside. I found that the bird was visible from the window, as was the immediate area. Since the front door was only steps away I decided that this was an acceptable compromise.
I've done this watch a few times and usually the recovery time is from 20 - 40 minutes. After an hour the bird was still there. I went back out to check and the bird seemed to be more active. The head was moving, the eyes blinked and the bird even preened. But it didn't fly away. I was concerned but I figured the bird was taking advantage of the sheltered position to rest. I decided to let the bird be and went back in.
Over the next two hours we kept an eye on the bird as it preened, fluttered it's wings, moved it's head and in general looked like a healthy bird. By this time it was getting dark and I figured I was going to have to intervene. I located a dry box and some lining and thought about where to keep the bird. As darkness got deeper I waited and watched and then I noticed the bird looking around. It seemed to be noticing the darkness too. Then it very casually hopped out of the sheltered spot to the walk, looked around and took off and flew easily towards the trees.
I hope that the bird made it through the night and found the food and strength to continue on its way. I'm going to look at some of the new window distraction items on the FLAP website and hopefully I won't be standing around watching for cats in the future.
