Is That A Bird in Your Pocket?

Today was another day with hours spent at the healing spot to the north. While a family member was undergoing tests, I had about 45-minutes to occupy my time. I could have parked myself in a chair and watched people go in and out, or I could prance my way downstairs and out in the small flower garden area to look at what blossoms remain. Prance downstairs and out was what I did.

As I studied the various blossoms still looking quite vibrant (how do they do that after frost?), movement to my left caught my eye. At first I thought a mouse had made a run for it, but no, a small bird in the sparrow family was out bouncing around in the limited area patio.

You guessed it… my attention switched from blossoms to chasing the bird with my camera (not literally). Since I was testing out a “new to me” point and shoot camera, I was not quite as successful with images as I might have been with my big Nikon lens and camera body. Still, I did manage to record an image or three (maybe more).

I was not able to discern if this field sparrow was injured - likely from a window strike - or was it just very comfortable with people being in close proximity. That answer I do not know and never will. What I do know is I was ready to pick it up to evaluate it if it came close enough to catch.

When I explained this to my family member they asked “What were you going to do with it?” I suppose, had the bird been injured, I would have kept it in my pocket to take to a rehabber since I had nowhere else for it.

Imagine me walking around Mayo Clinic with a bird in my pocket. What if it cheeped? What if it got out of my pocket? Perhaps Mayo can do miracles for humans, but birds… maybe not.

This incident did remind me of the time I found and caught a smooth green snake and kept it in my pocket during lunch. That is a story for another time.