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"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Royalty visits...

My world around here is very much attune to the birds who live in the woods and the fields.
I know that if I hear a certain  'blip' on a window it
may mean a bird has flown into it.
Luckily most birds recover and fly away, sadly some are killed by the impact
 but once in a while they are stunned and may need a little de -stressing, a time-out of sorts.
The other morning I heard that 'blip' and sure enough there sat the tiniest of birds...
 It was a Golden Crowned Kinglet.
(both females and males have gold feathers on top of their heads
 but the male has a tuft of rusty red on his)
I picked her up and she was definitely shaken up...
Some may think not to interfere in this situation but
if you think about being injured and how your body starts to shake, that's called shock
and you will know that a warm blanket can help.
She was in shock and I was stepping in.
I just cupped her in my hands and covered her and blew some warm breaths into
 my hands to keep her body heat up...
I kept her like that for about 5 minutes and then checked on her...
She seemed a bit better but still kind of wobbly so I cupped her again and let her rest.
This can be a critical time. Sometimes at this point the bird either makes it or doesn't.
I've held a few birds who quietly die in my hands and it is never easy.
This little lady seemed like she was going to be o.k.
I checked her again and just let her sit there while I slowly took a few pictures with my other hand...
Look at these tiny feet...
...don't worry, there's nothing wrong with them.
Those little feet are sharp and meant for clinging on to tiny branches,
not sitting on flat things.
Such a magical feeling to hold a wild little thing like this...
After about 10 minutes of the two of us curiously looking at each other,
I held out my hand with her in it up to the sky and just like that she fluttered off...
These little birds spend the winters in the south and can come from places like South Carolina
and Central America.
They're one of the smallest of songbirds and some people can barely hear their song
because of it's high pitch.
They weigh in at a hefty 0.2 ounces (or 6 grams)...that's twice the weight of a hummingbird
and are only 4" from beak tip to tail tip.
I was blessed with this royal visit today and only too glad to
  help a wee lass in distress.
 



7 comments:

Melody said...

What a beautiful little creature~ I suppose some would not interfere, but I'm not among them. It's a great chance to admire the details that we'd not normally see, while doing a good deed. The picture on the side bar of my blog is me sitting with a sparrow I fished out of my little pond in the back yard(years ago) I sat there and held it until it dried off and got its wits about it again, and could fly away. My back side was completely numb from sitting on a rock for an hour, but it was worth it to comfort a little creature who needed a friend for a moment. Small price to pay.

Megan Elizabeth said...

Precious! What a little beauty.

M.

Unknown said...

Oh my, what a wonderful post! I love it! I'm sure the bird felt comforted, protected, and secure in your warm hands. Oh, what Love can do!

The fact that you were able to snap such great pictures is so cool. Your royal visitor is a beautiful gal. What an amazing, trusting being.

Suz said...

I saw a ruby crowned kinglet today!
the cat spotted it first :(
When a bird hits our window
we have a large shoe box we cover them with
rest and darkness most times
helps them to recover...
love your precious bird...love the close up shots

Mary said...

Oh she's precious, and there is such joy in my heart at reading this, Kerry. Thank you. You helped the sweet little girl get better!

Anonymous said...

You did a good job - beautiful photos too.

Cobalt Violet said...

Adorable!!!! I'm so glad you got pictures!!!!
Great shots and I am glad you were there to warm her up and protect her until she was ready to be on her way!