A Day at the Aviary

Dan left early this morning to go racing. I slept in and woke up feeling pretty good. Decided to start some laundry, go downstairs to eat and read my scriptures and have time to shower before Nick's piano lesson. Was going to be a relaxing morning.

When I let Kershaw out of his crate, he didn't go immediately outside, so I left the door open for him if he changed his mind and for me to enjoy the morning air and sounds. I was in the mudroom folding beach towels when I heard a loud whistling and knocking. It sounded like the washer machine was off balance. But it couldn't be because they're stackable and the noise was coming from the kitchen. I glanced around the corner and there in the kitchen was a huge dove  (are doves wild?) fluttering wildly, wings beating madly against the window!

The dove would fly against the window but then fall back stunned/confused/catching its breath for a minute. I tried knocking on a window to get its attention, to no avail. Kershaw would go close when the bird was calm, but as soon as he got near, the bird would flutter wildly and Kershaw would bound away.

I tried knocking on a window near the open door to help him see the way out. I tried getting something shiny (big metal spatula!) to catch its attention. I tried whistling and calling. But Bird was determined to go out a window that doesn't open. Finally I had to get within two feet from it to open the nearest window to him. But even with an open door on one side of him and an open window on the other, he still couldn't figure it out. (There was clearly a church talk in this story somewhere!)

Ten minutes into this fiasco, I heard violent fluttering from across the house and realized ANOTHER dove was in the sunroom!! They must have come in together! TWO birds in my house! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Marty had come in a bit earlier so I knew he was awake. "Marty!" I called. No answer. I didn't have my contacts or glasses on. I didn't have my phone (to take a picture for the blog) and I couldn't leave because I didn't want to take my eyes off where either Bird flew off to. And you know my imagination. If I didn't see them fly out of my house with my own eyes, I would go insane worrying I would run into a fluttering bird, or a dead bird, around every corner... for probably the rest of my life!

The bird suddenly flew from the kitchen to the front door and banged into the windows next to it. "Marty, help me!" I called from the entry. He heard. "Mom, do you need something?"

"We have two birds in the house! Help me!" He came down quickly and I sent him to check the sunroom. Sure enough there was another one in there.

We opened the front door, but of course Bird #1 couldn't see an open door right next to him. Instead he flew up to the landing with the big windows up there. Marty meanwhile opened windows in the sunroom, but instead of going out, Bird #2 flew to the living room. I opened the landing window hoping Bird #1 would see the exit. I opened living room windows hoping Bird #2 would figure it out.

I thought of Costco where birds just live inside permanently and wondered if that could happen to me.

As Bird #2 sat on the floor just 18 inches from an open window, I blocked one way with a screen and Marty gently nudged him with the bottom of the other screen. Instead of flying directly forward to freedom, he maneuvered backwards, under the chair and then flew to the family room.

We gave up on him and went back to work with Bird #1. I grabbed a broom hoping to get him on the handle and moving him to the window. But while I was getting it, Marty somehow managed to sneak up behind with the large window screen blocking him from going elsewhere and Bird #1 finally flew up and outside!!

Then down we went to the family room to search for the other. Marty said, "He's on the mantle. Oh wait, that's actually the statue." (Now giving that statue a purpose as a reminder of today's bird nightmare rather than simply a cute decoration.) Bird #2 flapped and we discovered him on the floor. Marty opened the doors and he flew out. At least I think that's how it ended. I can't remember which door he flew out. That's how traumatized I was. My mind has already started clouding details to protect me. Actually, it could have been worse. I could have been by myself! Or in a hurry to go somewhere!

Then we ran around frantically closing windows and doors and replacing screens so more birds didn't fly in! Is it too late to add screens to the doors?