I couldn’t decide what title to use for my post today.  I finally decided to call it “Birds & Tuxedos” because that was what most of Saturday was about.  So this isn’t a stamping related post – I’ll try to add one later today so you might want to check back. But if you want to see some nice photos keep going.

So this little story actually starts late on Friday when I went down to the kitchen and to my big picture window and noticed new mess on my window.  I thought “Oh no, the bluebird finally knocked himself out”.  Remember me telling you about the bluebird that sits on the fountain and taps my window.  So I looked for him on the ground – only it wasn’t the bluebird.  It was a Cedar Waxwing and he was lying down on the ground at the base of the fountain.

I went outside to check on him and he was still alive and breathing but not moving around.  This was late in the day and the sun was setting and it was getting cold.  I called the local bird store and asked my friend that owns it what I should do.  She said to watch him for another 30 minutes or so and hopefully he would fly away.  Usually they are just stunned and after they recover they are ok.

He finally moved and sat up and turned his head – good I thought – he hadn’t broken his neck.

The Cedar Waxwing normally travel in a flock but there weren’t any others around.  About 30 minutes later they came back – maybe it wasn’t the same flock but I’d like to think it was.  I hoped maybe since they came back he would try to fly with them.  He did try but didn’t go anywhere – he wasn’t going “up” – just across the yard.  Eventually I decided I needed to bring him in for the night (that is what Willi told me to do).  So I got a shoebox and went outside to get him and bring him in for the night.  He spent the night in the shoebox in my laundry room.

So Saturday morning I took him back outside to see if after a night’s rest he could fly.  Here he is in the morning when I took the lid off the box.  He was walking around.  But I could really see where he looks like he injured his shoulder – can you see the feathers on his right side near his head. They are pulled up a bit.

He was able to get out of the box and sit in the yard and fluttered up to the step.  I took some more photos of him – he is such a pretty bird.  The red tips on his wings are almost fluorescent and really do look like wax.  The tips of the tail are yellow.  And he has a mask on his face.

He looked so much better in the morning after he rested all night but he still couldn’t fly.  I left him out there for about an hour watching to see if he would go, but he only fluttered along the ground a little.

So I put him back in the shoebox and took him to the wildlife vet.  The vet examined him and I checked on him later in the day.  Apparently the spot on what  I thought was his shoulder was actually a puncture wound in his neck.  And it was getting infected – they thought it was maybe from a cat.  But there were no cats that got near him after I found him and I don’t have any in my yard.  So perhaps something got him first and that was why he flew into the window – I don’t really know.  Anyway I’m sad to report that they had to euthanize him.

Ryan was with me and told me he wished he hadn’t learned what “euthanize” meant.  He just thought it meant they returned them to their “youth”.   So I have been sad today, I wish I could have done more and had him survive.

And now for the tuxedo part – that was Saturday afternoon.  I took Tyler to get measured for his tuxedo for the Prom!  Yes our first Prom is approaching and it is Tyler that is going with his girlfriend.  He tried on shoes, jacket, shirt, picked out the tux, the vest, and the rest.  So on the path to the prom – the tickets have been purchase, the tux has been rented, next are flowers, pictures plans, dinner plans, and transportation plans.  I’m excited that Tyler is going to the prom and that he is going with a girlfriend so he is sure to have a great time.  Prom is early – March 13th – and at the FOX Theater in Downtown Atlanta which will be exciting all by itself!

Say a prayer for my bird – may he rest in peace.