As I walked with friends this morning on a heavily used pathway to the main
Green Lake path, I looked down and saw two bushtits lying on the
asphalt. Upon closer inspection, they were both breathing but the
strangest part of this story is that they were attached. They were lying
in a 6 and 9 position with each having one foot embedded in the head of the
other. As my friends were making comments about West Nile virus and
leaving the birds alone, I gently grabbed the head of one bushtit and the
leg that was grasping it and, after several attempts, either managed to
untangle the claw, or scare the birds enough that they let go of each
other. They burst out of my grasp and flew into the bushes next to the
path. I am puzzled by what I saw. Was it territorial in nature? Were
they truly stuck to each other and unable to disentangle themselves even
though there were humans walking by them? Has anyone else witnessed this
with other birds? I wish I had had a camera with me so I could show you
how strange they looked. Bushtits with an attitude! It made my day!

Patti Gotz
Seattle - Roosevelt Neighborhood
plsgotz at attbi.com