The tale begins on the morning I was preparing to embark on a treacherous journey to the mall for free comic book day (not a fan of interstate driving), when I heard an odd scraping sound in our basement/family den type room. I actually remembered hearing the same sound the night before, and assumed it was one of our cats getting behind something.
So after my day's exploits (comics, TARDIS, Storm Troopers, shopping, Toys R Us, very large Icee, you can view pictures here http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1808184639100.2096461.1074473835&l=f087c73ab8 ) I returned home to find one of my indoor cats who is very afraid of coming downstairs (because that is typically the dogs' domain) at our fireplace sniffing around. It was then that I heard the scraping again.
I assumed it was a bird or a squirrel that had made its way in the chimney. I first called all the outdoor cats to make sure they were accounted for (and not stuck in there). But not really knowing what I should do - or if I should do anything at all - I left it alone hoping that if it got in there it could get out again.
But the next day I came down to hear it again, so obviously whatever it was could not climb/fly back out again, and it was surely at the bottom near the actual stone opening. I finally took a flashlight and looked up the dirty, sooty chute and saw that it was blocked - the vent thingy was closed! So the poor little thing was trapped in there without food or water for who knows how long before I noticed.
So I opened the vent, and sure enough it was a bird. A very pretty black bird whose feathers had a slight iridescence. He hopped out of the fireplace and was understandably very frightened, I had to use a broom to gently coax him to the open door (but he had to fly all over the place first, and all the cats decided to come in while the door was open). When finally he got the hint that 'hey, this thing waving a broom at me is trying to tell me to go this way' he found the door and flew off to I assume stuff his beak with bugs and chug as much water as he could fit into his tiny body.
I'm very glad that this had a happy ending, he could have been injured or we could've ignored his scratchings until it stopped for good, but now there's a bird that gets to fly again for another while, forever known to me now as 'Chimney Bird'.
Maybe he could be friends with Skippy, the squirrel I once saved from our Great Dane. I truly am a friend to the woodland creatures (except when they scare my cats away from their food. I'm talking to you, raccoon brothers! How are you even reading my blog anyway?)
Also, Happy Mother's Day, here is a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxRK99Oy1VY
ALOFC
-Celia
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