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April 5th, 2010
A Colorful Visitor Sometimes, though, visitors can stick around for awhile. When we returned back from our Easter festivities, our wonderful house-sitter, Amanda, informed us that someone had come knocking -- or rather, had found their way down the chimney and made a temporary home in our wood burning stove. The somebody was a bird. When we arrived home, the bird had apparently been stuck in there for a day or so, and despite our searching, we couldn't find it. Amanda had placed a water bowl inside, so we opened the stove door and went about our day. A few hours later, a loud sound from the kitchen attracted our attention, and a moment later a large dark form flew across our living room.
He wasn't the sort of visitor most people like. Indeed, even bird-lovers have been known to speak his name with loathing. He was a Starling. The thing about these birds, though, is that they're actually quite beautiful. We took him outside to let him free, and were mesmerized by his iridescent colors. This was a creature of great beauty. Moments later we said our good-byes, and the Starling winged up to a high tree on the ridge across the road. He seemed happy to be free of the constraints of chimneys and walls and windows. It's odd when a wild animal enters your life like that -- just a moment of connection with a creature that otherwise would never even get close to a human being. It's a reminder of the worlds around us -- worlds that are usually unfolding beyond our perceptions, but that once in awhile happen by for a visit.
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Now, catching a
bird with one's hands isn't very easy, but after a considerable amount of
stumbling about and chasing hither and nigh, we finally had the bird in
hand.