A few days passed and that thought was replaced with dread. Something was amiss. Each day as she left for a quick trip to the market or to run an errand, upon returning she noticed the little orange fluff protruding slightly from the entrance was still there. With heavy heart, she tapped on the side of the dovecote. The orange fluff did not move. She kept it together just long enough to get inside the house, but then the tears came…and they came and they came. She had become so attached to those silly bluebirds…the same sweet family returning year after year to nest and feed their babies on the meal worms she provided every spring and summer.
Then a horrible, terrible thought came to her. What if there was a whole family down inside, all frozen to death in the unusually bitter cold that had lasted the whole week. What if several bluebirds had sought refuge in the dovecote but became trapped inside because one of them had frozen just inside the entrance. The thought was more than she could bear.
She beat herself up, wondering if she could have done something, anything to help the birds through this difficult and unusually cold winter. The feeders had been kept full with seed, but what if...what if they had not survived the cold. What if there were more trapped beneath. Her heart breaking, she wondered how she could face removing the little body, or worse yet...bodies, from the dove cote. Were not these the very same birds she had come to love through multiple nestings in the dove cote every spring for the past three years?
She needed help…she couldn't face this alone. But who could she call? Who could help her with such a sad undertaking? She called the bird store where she had bought her meal worms and seed for the past several years and through tears she described what she had found and her worst fears. An unbelievably caring soul, Craig, consoled her...telling her this wasn’t her fault. Bluebirds could normally weather the cold and he would be happy to come over and help.
She hung up the phone and she waited, pacing the floor and just hoping for the best possible outcome. A friend once told her, you are "too tenderhearted." What does that mean? How do you cure a tender heart? She stood at the window looking out at the birds coming to the feeders. And then it happened. A big fat, healthy bluebird came to the deck rail just outside…just a few feet away. Though she was sure one bluebird was lost, maybe this was God speaking to her, comforting her that it was going to be OK.
The doorbell rang, startling her from her thoughts. It was Craig and he had good news. There was only one bird, a male...not a whole family inside. He told her he had not frozen but had died from an injury to his chest. He must have sought refuge in the one place he felt safe.
She felt terribly sad for the one bird that was lost, but so relieved there were no others down inside. She gave Craig a big hug, thanking him over and over again for his help. He again assured her that she had done nothing wrong and there really wasn’t a practical way to help the birds stay warm in the winter…that they knew where to go and what to do to stay warm. He told her providing food and water was really all she could do...and this she had done. Before he left, he cleaned out the old nest so the dove cote would be ready if bluebirds came again in the spring. She never even had to see the lost bird...Craig had removed him before he ever came to the door.
She tried to pay him for his time, for any expense…for his unbelievable kindness. He refused saying it wasn’t necessary and he had been glad to help. Before he left, she showed him a photo on her computer of a large hawk who had come calling several weeks before. As they studied the hawk attempting to identify him, Craig noticed and pointed out a bluebird just outside the window drinking melted snow from the candelier. She was so grateful for his kindness…a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. All she could think was how amazing it is that there are still such caring, generous people in the world.
If you live in the north suburbs of Atlanta, please stop by and say hello to Craig at Wild Birds Unlimited on Piedmont Road in Marietta. He saved me that cold January day and I will always remember his kindness.
Wild Birds Unlimited
1050 E Piedmont Rd
Marietta, GA 30062
(770) 565-9841
Today, as I walked down the driveway to retrieve the mail, a bluebird couple flew from the dovecote to the top of the crape myrtles nearby. They are prospecting...staking out their claim. They know the days are getting longer and soon, spring will be here. Thanks to the kindness of a true gentleman, a knight in shining armor, the dove cote is all ready.
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