A Summer's Tale

A Summer's TaleBy Micki Peluso



This is an encounter between a human and a wild bird

While watering my indoor plants, I heard a thud. Looking up I saw something drop from outside the window pane in the living room. I rushed outside to see what had happened, fearful that a bird had flown into the glass.Such was the case and It lay on the cement porch, immobile. I worried that the impact had broken its neck. I had grabbed a napkin on my way in case the bird was diseased or full of mites. Sitting on the wicker porch swing, I inspected the small bird. It looked like the many wrens that flew about and nested around my home. I carefully picked it up with the napkin, noting that its neck did not appear to be broken; nor was there any blood. Birds can quickly die with the loss of only a few drops of blood.

 

 This little wren seemed to have knocked itself unconscious by the impact of its crash into the window. I now wished I hadn't washed the windows recently, feeling a pang of guilt. Clear, clean windows look like open spaces to flying birds. I vowed to place screening on the windows to avoid future accidents. I held the little bird, now wrapped in the napkin, against my beating breast--perhaps my heartbeat might awaken its own. I rocked back and forth, singing lullabies as if it were a child and whispered prayers to God that His lovely creature might live. Time passed--how much I do not know. The bird and I were bound together as I gently stroked its soft brown feathers, willing it to come to life.

Suddenly, the bird lifted its head and gazed at me; unafraid, it seemed, as it looked into my very soul. I was mesmerized and grateful to see that it was alive, yet worried that it might be injured. I continued to rub its body as if guided by an entity larger than the bird or me. Something wonderful happened then. The wren stood up, straight and tall, and walked back and forth across my hands as if checking its state of health. It stretched its wings a time or two, glanced again at me and attempted to fly. It flew low at first, then gained strength and soared off toward the sky.

I sat awhile, that sultry day, and pondered this wondrous experience. I knew that I would never be quite the same, blessed by the miracle of summertime; granted a gift from God who let me bond for a little while with one of His creatures. It was an intimate, precious time that I will hold forever in my heart and mind.

Authors note; Taken from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (reworded)
The House wren, a plain brown bird with animated songs, is common in backyards across the western hemisphere. They love zipping through bushes and low-branched trees while hunting insects. They are small and compact, a soft brown in color, although the adult wren may be a darker brown.Their heads are flat, their beaks long and curved, and their wings short with a rather long tail. The house wrens are as bubbly and full of energy as their cheerful songs. These delightful creatures are happy living in neighborhoods, forests, city parks or farmyards and are a pleasure to all fortunate enough to observe and enjoy their pleasant demeanor and happy songs.

There are many varieties of wrens, including, The House Wrens, found all throughout the Northern Hemisphere. They differ from the Winter Wrens, who, unlike the House Wrens' long tail, have almost no tail . Both have a noticeable eyebrow, but the Winter Wrens' is much bolder in color. Bewicks Wrens and Carolina Wrens both have very bold eyebrows, however the first has a white breast while the other has a warm brown color.
Other wren species are noted by their habitats. The pale Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren prefer marshy grasses and reeds, while the paler gray-brown Rock Wren tends to blend in with the dry ambience of the west. A brown-throated sub-species of the House Wren tends to inhabit the mountainous regions of southeastern Arizona and has a buffy eyebrow with cinnamon-buff throat and chest.

House Wrens are found through the Americas, all the way to southern Argentina, where they tend to be warmer in color with different voices. Wherever one finds these adaptable, winsome birds, the sounds of their songs will always delight the listener.