JuneOntario's blog: THE ODD BIRD

While the vast majority of migratory birds depart south on schedule, now and again there are ones that stay late or never leave at all. Starlings can be forgiven for not always going away with the vast flock of grackles, cowbirds, and red-winged blackbirds that they arrived with, since they are European imports and in their continent of origin they never had a need to go south in winter. However, the lone grackle that is still visiting the sunflower-seed feeder in my garden has no such excuse. A song sparrow has also failed to migrate and is hanging around with a flock of juncos. I suppose for a bird that small, it is safer staying here with others similar in size than setting off on a long journey alone.

The saddest failure to migrate must be a bird unable to fly. What must it be like to desperately need to go south, but not have the means to do so, and to be abandoned by flock and family? As winter ice built up, we became aware that a flightless Canada goose was paddling around on the small patch of open water where the stream flows into our pond. The goose retreated upstream and hid in the reeds when we approached it, but through binoculars we could see that one of its eyes was cloudy, and its wing feathers looked ragged. After failed attempts to lure it out of the reeds with corn so we could catch and relocate it, we could do nothing but let nature take its course.

Days of cold and snow ensued, and we felt sure the goose had succumbed to either injuries or predators. However, when a mild spell melted some of the ice, the goose reappeared on the pond. For several days we watched it eating submerged plants and paddling around strongly in the water. Finally, it had the strength to climb out onto the ice, walk around, and exercise its wings. Just when we thought it would never leave, it took a run and launched itself into the air. Wings laboring hard, it rose up, above the encircling trees, and flew over the hill, southward bound.

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