A Lucky Little Lady

Winter bird feeding can be very risky for the birds. They can not only fall prey to raptors such as hawks or shrikes but they can be injured by flying into windows. This female Pine Grosbeak flew into the siding of our home yesterday morning. On hearing the impact, I ran outside and found her partially buried in the powder snow. I immediately picked her up; dusted off the snow; checked her over; and kept her warm in my hands for several minutes before setting her on a dry spot in the warm sunlight. After about forty-five minutes she fully recovered and flew into a tree. Shortly thereafter she resumed feeding. She was very lucky that the siding was more flexible than glass and that I was there to help her recover.