This is a sad story, but one with a happy ending. I was outside with Izzi (my dog) and I heard the painfully familiar thud-plop sound on the deck. Yes, sure enough, a little bird lay clumped on the deck after hitting my window. I followed my usual routine ... got a paper bag, lined it with a paper towel , then after putting on a glove, I gently lifted the little fellow and placed him in the bag. (These are the instructions we were given in a Rehab seminar years ago). It wasn't until I was able to look at him in the bag that I realized that this was not a bird I had ever seen before.
He looked like the shape of a Nut Hatch ... but the color was wrong. What could it be?
I then made my call to Fellow Mortals the wonderful wildlife rehab facility in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. They take a message and then call you back. As I was waiting for the call, I heard the little bird jumping around in the bag. I thought perhaps he had just bumped his head enough to put him out so, as I usually do, I took the bag outside and opened it to see if he would fly away. He didn't, so I lifted him out on my finger and took some pictures in hopes of possibly identifying him. As he never attempted to fly, I knew he needed to go to rehab.
When I got to Fellow Mortals they told me he was a Philadelphia Vireo ... a migrating bird on his way to South America. The good news is he had no broken bones and was perfectly flight capable except he had ruptured two air sacs and wouldn't fly until they had reinflated. They estimated two weeks of TLC and he would be on his way again. I have the option of getting a report back on him in one month ... which I will definitely do.
The Philadelphia Vireo spends most of it's time in the upper leafy portions of trees so they are rarely seen. I was privileged, though not in a way I would prefer, to meet this little fella and I am so relieved that he will be fine. Like I said ... a Happy Ending :)
P.S. I have learned from Fellow Mortals that whenever a bird hits the window he should be taken in because, even though he may seem fine and is able to fly away, they may develop swelling in the brain and eventually not make it. So in the future that will also be part of my routine:)(What to do when you find and injured animal/bird)
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