I work in the tallest building in Seattle. There are three mezzanine
levels with centrally located high open spaces connecting each level
before you get to the lobby level. While coming down the main elevator
to go get my morning latte, the doors opened up and I heard the chirping
of the elusive house sparrow. The last time I saw him was last summer,
perched on one of the railings of the second floor mezzanine level.
Another time I was in the main lobby where there's a bank, cashing a
check at the counter when the bird flew by and swooped me.

It turns out he has inhabited the building for about three years. He
used to have company about a year ago, but his companions disappeared.
The sparrow lives off crumbs the fellow office workers leave on the
floor at the food courts and drinks from the 3-story fountain in the
middle of the mezzanine floors. I was told the bird actually resides in
the flower boxes on the second level. The maintenance people told me
they tried for about 2 years to catch it, but the bird was too smart and
flew around all the mist nets they put up instead of into them.
Maintenance finally gave up. They also said with satisfaction that it
is a very tidy bird, leaving no messes behind. He has been living free
of fear of being caught for the last year.

Today was a particularly sunny morning with broad shafts of sun rays
coming through the vast glass windows on the lobby level where the
elevators are. According to the security guard, the bird perches on one
of the beams in the sun and starts singing when the sun comes out. So
now I've reached a new stage in my birding career called "building
birding."

We're all wondering if the bird actually gets lonely, or if it's happy
living off the fat of the land in a climate-controlled environment
without anyone to play with. The bird seems to have made a choice or
does he really want out but doesn't know how?

Franny Drobny
fdrobny at cairncross.com