21 June 2010 – 1 stunned Carolina Wren

Occasionally I’ll find birds near the windows at the NRC that look like they’ve had a collision but they’re still alive. In an instance or two, the bird was in such bad shape (e.g., panting, eyes closed, blood on the bill) that I counted it as a kill before the coroner would sign a death certificate. A few times, however, a bird that might seem perky – if a bit dazed – has just needed a bit of herding to get it away from the windows and on its way. Today, that was the case with a Carolina Wren. It wasn’t feeling great, but wasn’t badly injured either. I gave it a little push and it flew on its way and away from the building. So this one was stunned and might’ve fallen prey to a marauding cat if it stayed much longer, but I did not count as a window casualty.