While visiting a friend’s cottage last summer, I was on the deck very early one morning with my camera looking for something to photograph when i heard a thump behind me. I looked around and I saw this young Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) that had flown into a nearby window. It looked like it wasn’t going to make it…

But after a few minutes, it started to recover…

And after a few more minutes, it was able to perch on my finger so I brought it over to a railing…

The early morning sun started to warm up the ovenbird, and it started to look better…

Later I carried it over to an evergreen tree and it wanted to sleep…

After a short while, the ovenbird seemed to be fully recovered…

I found out later that the best thing to do if a bird hits a window and appears to be still alive is to gently pick it up and place it in a clean shoebox with a few airholes punched in the lid with a piece of paper towel on the bottom so it doesn’t get soiled. Give the bird ten or twenty minutes of quiet time in the box in a cool safe place.

Tom Robertson
Photographer
tomspider@yahoo.com