The blustery, icy winds that began the week did result in a somewhat unusual visitor at LWR, however. Last Sunday as I was making my “feeder rounds” to top off all the outside feeders, something crashed to the ground right behind me beneath a tree I was walking under. I turned, expecting to see a branch dislodged either by the wind or the gray squirrels, and instead there was what initially appeared to be a fairly large piece of gravel! I looked more closely, and it was a gray tree frog, icy-cold to the touch. He probably fell because he was too cold to keep his grip in the tree. Inside he went, where he spent the night in warmth and safety, and as soon as it warmed up sufficiently Monday afternoon, I placed him back on the tree he’d fallen from. Fifteen minutes later he was long gone!
The first male cardinal came in early in the week. He was unable to fly but his wings weren’t broken. He had full use of his legs and a healthy appetite and was quite alert, so I honestly figured he had a coracoid fracture that would just need time and rest to heal. He died 48 hours after intake. I suspect now that he was simply an older bird who’d reached the end of his lifespan. At least he died with a full crop; sometimes that’s all we can offer.
The end