Not a Hummingbird

We've had a steady stream of hummingbirds at the feeder outside the dining room window, but today's visitor was a little more unusual. During dinner, B looked out and saw a black-capped chickadee drinking out of the feeder! He was chased away by a hummingbird, but eventually came back for a few more sips.

Feathered Friend

I was abruptly awakened this morning by M shouting for me. It seems a bird somehow got into the house, and was desperately trying to escape through a window on the stairway (one that doesn't open at all). In my PJs, I dashed out to the garage for the butterfly net, and eventually guided the bird back down the stairs to the family room. He promptly made a beeline for the sliding glass door, slammed into the wall head first, and knocked himself out on the floor. After shooing away the dogs, I scooped him up and took him outside. His eyes were open, but he was clearly stunned, so I held him for a while until he finally flew away into a tree.

B and I searched through our field guide, and the bird that looked most like our friend was a house finch. If anyone reading this knows something about birds, we'd love to know if we got it right:



Still not sure how he got INTO the house. M thinks he came through the hole in the ceiling (DH removed the drywall that was water-damaged in the last storm, and he's waiting for everything to dry out before repairing it).