Recovering, Mr. Bird finds a new perch

Mr. Bird is sleeping now -- atop the frame that holds the porch swing on our deck.

This is not his usual nighttime resting place. In the past, he has hopped from rooftop to branch to branch until he was high up in the tallest tree on our block.

But last night, the neighbors say, he fell out off that perch. (No details here; I wish I knew what they actually saw or just surmised.)

Today he picked a decidedly lower goal -- our porch swing, which is about 5 feet off the ground.
Our neighbor Lee called, alarmed, because she fears if he falls out of THAT, he will end up in the water.

Poor bird. I guess he doesn't have his full strength back. Or maybe his injured foot hampers his ability to get a good hop going.

He also is handicapped because, at this time of year, his feathers are so long and full. It must be hard to fly with those things hanging out 4 feet behind!

Soon, he'll lose those feathers in his annual molting, and maybe he'll be able to roost on high again when he is lighter.

In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on him, and hope he's not endangered or demoralized by such a lowly roost.