Another Successful Wildlife Rescue

She hit the glass with such force I heard the impact downstairs in my lair. Racing to the deck, I prayed I wouldn't find a corpse. She sat on the snow, stunned but clearly alive: a female hairy woodpecker.

I know the drill: place the bird in a covered box, let it sit in a warm place (especially important today, when the temperature is in the single digits), and leave it to recover its equilibrium.

So that's exactly what I did.

Ruth checks on the patient.



The bird had lost a few downy feathers, but her eyes were bright and alert. After a little while she moved about, not frantically, but clearly ready to return to her outdoor habitat.



I put the box on the deck, tipped it on its side.

The woodpecker flew upward, soaring in a straight line towards the hemlock trees.

I've been watching for her and can happily report she's already returned to the suet feeder at least once.