More Bird Stuff

Yesterday while I was sitting in my kitchen watching the birds eat, I noticed a small, skinny Chipping sparrow that was camped out at one of the feeders.


It didn't seem to matter what was going on around him he was intent on staying parked on that perch, gently reaching his tiny head in to get a bite to eat. Since I noticed he was thinner than the other sparrows I assumed he was just really, really hungry.


After breakfast this morning I was sitting in the kitchen planning my day. The birds of all kinds were having their breakfast, it was a usual Sunday morning.


I was about to leave my seat when I saw the little hungry sparrow sitting out there eating again. A very large Grackle landed on top of the feeder and I guess it frightened the little guy and his head got stuck inside the feeder hole.


I watched for about 30 seconds thinking he would free himself. The Grackle saw me move closer to the patio door so he left. The small sparrow was still stuck.


I went outside and surveyed the situation. He was stuck all right. His head was fully inside the feeder hole tilted straight down I think his beak was stuck. When I gently put my hands around his body to see if he was alive he flapped his wings a bit. This made me happy because I was worried he had broken his neck.


He was stuck in there real tight. I couldn't budge him. I didn't want to pull on him too hard though, he was only about 4" long and about 1" wide. I also didn't want him hurting himself trying to get away from me. I looked inside the feeder trying to see how on earth he was stuck in there. I could not figure it out.


I put the feeder on the deck floor and gently dumped out a good bit of seed. That helped to get a better view of the little guy. That's when I noticed that his beak must be stuck in some way inside.


I tried and tried to free him but it was not working. He had gone limp. His little body stopped moving. I thought he was dying. I was at a loss at what to do. I think he was at a loss too, he was probably praying to whatever God birds pray to, just to get out of this situation alive.


I went inside the house and got a butter knife. I stuck the butter knife through the hole opposite to him on the other side of the feeder. I very, very gently put the knife under his head and gently grabbed ahold of his body outside the feeder. When I raised the knife ever so slightly his little head popped up and out of the feeder. I opened my hand and he flew away.


I was very relieved. I was happy he wasn't injured because as much as I was at a loss as to how to get him out of that predicament, I was at more of a loss as to what to do with an injured, tiny sparrow.


Five minutes later, the feeder was back in place, hanging on the deck rail and I was inside the house looking out and wondering if the bird was somewhere in the trees breathing into a tiny paper bag, hyperventilating.


The birds arrived a minute later to clean the seed of the deck. About 8 of them ranging in size and species. A plump Chipping sparrow arrived and began pecking away. Another thinner, smaller sparrow arrived and I grabbed my binoculars to look and sure enough, it was him. I could tell because the feathers on his head were all sticking up like a mohawk. The same way he looked when he flew out of my hand five minutes earlier.