Pygmy Encounter

Sitta pygmaea

Click on photo to enlarge - © 2007 jim otterstrom

While responding to an e-mail a few minutes ago I heard an all too familiar 'thunk' against the upstairs window behind me. Aware of what had just happened I ran downstairs to find this juvenile Pygmy Nuthatch, upside down and barely conscious, lying on the front porch.

I quickly picked it up, worried about sending it into deeper shock, as I looked for a safe place to put it, where hopefully, it might regain its senses. The stunned bird kept looking back up at the window, beak wide open as if in disbelief, or maybe trying to comprehend what had just occurred, and yet it seemed indifferent to my handling of it.

By the time I took this picture of the nuthatch, perched on my left fore and index fingers, it seemed to be regaining a bit of cognizance and equilibrium. It could stand up again, and grip fingers

I walked it out to the big rock birdbath, and, as I was trying to gently set it down near the water, it gave me one last look, and then flew confidently off to the upper branches of a nearby Jeffrey Pine.

A happy ending, this time, but we've lost more than a few birds to window collisions.

This near-tragic incident was also a rare opportunity to get very close to a juvenile Pygmy Nuthatch, so do yourself a favor. Enlarge the picture and enjoy the depth in that dark little eye, and the intricate beauty in those still developing feathers.

How fortunate we are to live in a world populated with so many beautiful creatures, and how fragile the whole thing is.

Canon S5IS - Manual Mode - Super Macro - f/2.7 - 1/60 sec - ISO 80