Yesterday, I had a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a magnificent little being up close. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding our visit were quite unfortunate. My guest was a beautiful little bird known as Dendroica magnolia or the Magnolia Warbler.
He was an adult male who had taken a wrong turn and found himself face to face with a pane of glass. I found him laying semi-conscious next to the spot where I park my bike at home. My partner and I immediately hit the ground beside him and checked his vitals.
The evidence was good that he took the brunt of the collision on his left hand side. He was lilting to the left. His feathers were badly matted on the same side. Most alarmingly, his left eye was swollen shut.
We sat and watched him for many minutes, eventually deciding that we needed to head up to our apartment but not without him. We have many cats in the neighborhood. My partner gently tried to pick him up a
nd he gingerly moved onto her fingers. We brought him upstairs and made a little spot for him to sit with us on our deck.
On further inspection it was difficult to tell how badly damaged his left eye was. It slowly pooled with blood. The drop would reach a critical mass and be sucked up by the plumage surrounding his eye. I felt very sad knowing that if he regained his wits, he would have to suffer a difficult period of pain and adjustment. These birds hunt insects. I am sure that vision is essential to the successful hunt.
After two hours of gentle tending and observation, my partner decided that we should bring him inside to provide him with a warm and
quiet space to recover. She prepared a large box for him and moved outside. As she approached, he suddenly took a lateral step on the lip of the planter where he was perched. Then another. He spread his wings and looking very sure of himself launched upwards, dipped for a moment and then shot off over the balcony railing. Into a stiff wind he launched himself briefly upwards and then plummeted down towards the two-story maple behind our apartment. He was gone. We were very happy but both felt worried about the evening ahead.
Posts
