I have been on vacation elsewhere and today was the first time in a couple
of weeks in walking the woods I live in. I stopped to get a picture of a
flower and a song sparrow landed on the trail in front of me, about 6 feet
so I turned the camera on him. It then flopped over on his side and kicked
out his feet, like it was dying or very ill. I was surprised and as I
stepped toward the bird it flipped back on its feet and ran down the trail.
I followed, intrigued. It fluttered out one wing, and again I thought it
might be ill and started thinking about what to do. By this time I had gone
a good 10 feet from the first encounter and the bird suddenly flew,
perfectly healthy, elsewhere. I had to laugh out loud at myself, the
distraction display worked like a charm. I went back to the same spot,
looking for the nest and a sparrow (the same one?) started peeping so
piteously that I acquiesced to its request and left the still unseen nearby
nest alone.

As I rounded the corner in the trail, a song sparrow began doing its call,
sounding perhaps a bit triumphant in repelling the large hairy biped.

Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous at msn.com