Ponder this:

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Something, solved

It is difficult for me to identify birds in the dark, in the rain, by the light only of a flashlight.
But I think it was a grackle. Maybe a young grackle? ...or one that was impaired in some way? 
It was in the same place when I went back upstairs to go back to bed . . . perched on the slant of the roof . . . and the slant of this roof is an impressive one . . . but it's nothing to a bird I suppose.


In the light of the flashlight's beam, this is, more or less, what I saw . . . the glowing yellow eyes in particular:

He looked a lot bigger in the dark than he did once I got some light on him . . . but any black blob attached at midnight to one's roof outside one's bedroom window . . . I think it would always look big.

I was sure the bird would be dead on the ground when I woke up again this morning. What non-waterbird could sit all night in chilly rain and not suffer for it? But at 5:30 he was on the roof ridge, having left evidence of his overnight stay on the shingles below.  He didn't look a whole lot happier up there on the peak of the roof than he had sitting down below, but apparently he felt good enough to be mobile.
And now he's gone.

Another high adventure concluded.

13 comments:

Muffy's Marks said...

Poor little thing. I'm not sure what type of bird either. Have a great weekend.

DJan said...

Well, at least you didn't leave me in suspense. Hope the bird is OK. You know that they go into a semi-hibernation state at night? So he's probably all right...

June said...

DJan, I didn't know that. He was alert enough to look into the light when I directed it at him, but maybe that's a reflex...
Wow, a new fun fact to know and tell.
Thanks.

Carolynn Anctil said...

Poor guy. Sounds like he spent a miserable night in the cold & the rain. Perhaps he's off to somewhere more hospitable.

georgia little pea said...

You might find a dead bird on a walk! A well one wouldn't have sat in the rain all night like that, would it?

Olga said...

Maybe there is a reason that they call them bird brains.

Vicki Lane said...

I was going to say that about the night thing -- our chickens are all but comatose one it gets dark.

Barb said...

No matter what you write about June, you make it interesting. Glad to see a post from you!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

If your lone grackle comes back , I'd give him a packed lunch , point him in the right direction and tell him he'll find a support group or two in Texas .
Clouds of orioles are one thing ... clouds of grackles are something else entirely .

Morning Bray Farm said...

I do love the sound that grackles make... :) I hope you're doing well, June.

Hilary said...

Gracks are beautiful birds. Consider yourself honoured that he spent the night at Hotel June. :)

Cloudia said...

how lovely that you have the attention and imagination to see the mysterious in the mundane. You are my clan!



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Friko said...

He's fine, I'm sure. Birds do funny things. He was just having a (midnight) siesta.