Young Goldfinch

This is the time of year when young aviators mistake reflective windows for the outdoors and stun themselves, or more seriously break their necks, barely out of the nest. This young goldfinch's tale has a happy ending. Now whenever I hear a thump on the window I immediately go outside to check for casualties. More often than not, picking them up and holding them in the palm of your hand until they regain their senses, is all that is needed. IN the case of this young goldfinch I fed it droplets of water from a finger dipped in the birdbath. It was never totally unconscious, and drank the water. Ten minutes or so later, it had perked up sufficiently to transfer it to the branch of a tree in the orchard. I stood by it for another ten minutes or so, took some photos of it, and went in to process them. Fifteen minutes later when I went back out, it was still where I had left it but looking a great deal more alert. Surprisingly it did not fly off immediately, and I was standing with it at head height a few inches from me, before finally it took off and flew to the top of the nearest tree.