The Big Bang

Earlier this afternoon, I was sitting at my computer desk working when BANG!, and I nearly pissed myself. This time of year, we occasionally get birds that fly into our windows that are above our French doors in the living room. Here's a photo of them; I was standing on our deck today to take the photo...



I don't know what is so different about this time of year, but it's always late autumn. Maybe it has something to do with the leaves being off the trees or something, I don't know. This afternoon's big bang was this guy:



A red-bellied woodpecker who landed on the deck. I could see his was still alive, so I opened the door and stepped out, thinking I would pick him up and put him someplace more safe than the deck floor (we have 2 cats). But as soon as I stepped out, he awkwardly flew up a little... but he didn't quite yet have his bearings back, and he hit a flower pot I have on the deck. I stopped moving, but he was still scared and he flew again, a short distance into a chair, then again, finally landing, if you can call it landing, on the railing of the deck... where I took his photo. I watched him for a while, then checked on him every few minutes... until he up and flew off. Tough bird, that one, coz he must've hit that window hard judging from the huge bang he made.

I've gotten so that I can judge the bang... some I know instantly it was just a little jar in the bird's flight plan, others I can tell the flight plan was cancelled. Those I try to help, if I can. I cradled a gold finch recently until he got his bearings and flew off out of my hand. And I helped this little chickadee... it was cold out, so I put him in a towel for warmth.



He stayed in that towel about 2 hours, and then when I checked on him, he was finally moving, so I pulled the towel away a little and he flew off...



and landed in the nearby apple tree, where he stayed for about 10 minutes, while friends joined him... this is him...



Then off he flew. But he left me a memento...



I'd like to do something so that the birds won't fly into the window, but I don't want to cover the window or alter the view... so, yeah, I guess my view is more important to me than the life of an occasional bird. It's time you knew this about me anyway. (It's only, on average, about one or two dead birds per year, some years, zero meet their glassy death. And those that die, don't go to waste... did I mention we have 2 cats?...)