A Starling

Shortly after I took the kitties out this morning, Dovienya sauntered into the yard with a bird in her mouth. I didn't think much of it until she let it go and it was still moving. I sort of assumed it would be wounded, and watched as the cats crowded in for a look. After a few minutes, it became clear that it was not wounded, so I gathered the cats back into the house and gently caught the little bird between my hands. It became very clear that its wings were functioning, but that it hadn't quite worked out flying yet. So probably a recent attempted fledge. I caught it again, hands cupped lightly around the wings this time, and set it in a grassy, shady spot, since I didn't really know what else to do for it.

It seems to be gone now. Whether something else caught it, or it finally figured out the whole flight thing, I'm not sure. But I suspect that it did figure out how to fly, and that it was the starling that lit on a line just above my chair when I went out this evening. It very nearly cackled at me and the cats. If my life were a cartoon, that would be the same bird. I could swear that it came back just to say "Nyah, nyah, na-nyah-nah." Yes, I'm probably projecting. But I'd like to think that the not-quite-fledgling made it.