I carefully picked him up and carried him into the kitchen, cradling him in my hand ... I talked gently to him and stroked him on the back and front ... we sat quietly at the kitchen table with him sitting in my lap (no cats around - or revenge would have been swift and bloody - the scoldings our cats have taken my neighbourhood jays are no doubt remembered!!!) ...
Eventually he began to look around ... spread his wings ... flip his tail ...
Mere words can't describe how beautiful the iridecsent colours on his wings and body are ... and when he opened his tail it was simply breath-taking ... I've always loved Blue Jays (even the ball team!!) BUT I've never been able to look at one this closerly before !!
After 10 or fifteen minutes I carried him outside and he promptly hopped from my hand to the top of the barbeque ... then fluttered his wings and flew up into the trees on the south side of our property:
As I write this, he is higher up in the trees and has been calling quietly to his friends who are scolding him for his careless mis-adventure ... I'm left with a sense of awe at how beautiful this bird is up in the sky where he belongs, but how INCREDIBLY gorgeous he is close up ... and I'm glad he stopped by ... I think I'll wander up to the Hardware store and pick up some peanuts in case he decided to come by ... it's the least can do !!!
5 comments:
These are beautiful pictures Shawn.. I wish he'd smacked into my window!!
Thanks for sharing.
Stop washing your windows.
:)
I know; you can't do that. But your jay was lucky; many birds die that way, usually, I've heard, of brain damage.
I had the privilege of holding a baby chickadee once while it recovered. Such beautiful creatures they are!
Re cats: we brought home a stunned baby owl we found on the highway. It probably had hit a car, but it looked undamaged, except for its passivity. At home, we kept him in the living room, with the cats outside, doors and windows all shut. He still hadn't gotten to the hopping stage when one of our cats dashed down the stairs, into the living room, grabbed the owl and dashed back up before we could react. When we reached her, it was too late.
All we could figure was that she (the cat) had scrambled in somehow through the attic, maybe the chimney housing.
WASHING WINDOWS!!!!
We've lived in this house since 2000, and I can HONESTLY say - we haven't washed a window on the porch since then!!!!
I think he zigged when he shoulda zagged - OR - he was being chased by one of our neighbourhood Merlins!!
It's an enclosed, glassed in porch and he was INSIDE it ... not cats or dogs in sight.
Thankfully only one of our cats is a hunter and her only quarry is MICE!!! In enormous quantities - but ONLY mice !!!
I agree, the Jay was lucky ... we had a hawk arrive the same way a month or so ago and like the jay, left unscathed.
"We've lived in this house since 2000, and I can HONESTLY say - we haven't washed a window on the porch since then!!!!"
LOL!
Now that IS honesty!
:)
Beautiful post Rev, thanks.
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