The Bird Who Came in from the Cold and Left in a Hurry

Morning ritual is: Get up, wash teeth and face, prepare fresh food and water for my parrots, raise their night covers, and let them sing!

This morning, I had only gotten to the washing-teeth stage and I heard a scrabbling of bird nails against metal. It did not sound like one of my birds' scrabblings. Hmmm. I wonder if it’s one of the resident skunks living under my house. I listen again. This time I investigate after the noise continues. As I enter the living room from where the sounds originate, I then hear frantic fluttering. Oh-ho!!! A bird of undetermined species is dashing himself against the glass-fronted fireplace hearth from inside the chimney. He’s desperate for release from his dark prison into which he fell – when, I wonder? Not earlier than dusk last night; more likely this morning, just before I woke up.

By now, Sam the Jardine’s Parrot, has freaked out and is making the same frantic noises inside his still-covered cage. He spooks easily if one of his other flock members frightens, and he clearly feels scared.

I lift his covers so he can at least see what’s happening. The other flock members start commenting (in English) about the rude and unusual awakening. They are still under cover themselves. “Whatcha doing?” “Hm?” “You be!!!” (Pippin’s abbreviation for “You be good!”) - and other assorted peeps, chirps, squawks in a questioning/affronted tone….etc.

I’ve managed to open the front door wide and keep the blinds closed in the living room. I’m hoping that the bird thrashing at the bottom of the fireplace will seek first whatever light source he sees. I open the glass cover to the hearth and, like a bat out of hell, Mr. Incognito Bird zooms at high speed to the open door and is gone.

All I see is a blur. It’s a medium-sized bird. My suspicion is that it’s one of the two baby scrub jays that have been around the house being fed by their over-worked parents. They are fully fledged and eating for themselves, but they are still obviously clumsy and new to the dangers of large dark holes on the roof. And they are incautiously curious.

Sam calms down after being removed from his cage with kisses, the other flock members don’t even know what happened and are ready for anything, and a lovely sunny day begins after a pre-breakfast adventure! [I planned to insert some photos here, but Blogger won't upload photos tonight...]