This morning I am startled to realize that a bird is in the house. Last night I left the door to the balcony open so Hey You the cat would have easy access to the cacophony of bird song and traffic noise. An ancient ivy stretches its tentacles across the facade of the building and has climbed from the forest floor to the canopy of Honey Locust trees which abut the third floor balcony, forming a graceful border and framing the porch. The ivy makes wonderful nesting material, providing protection from the wind and weather, and a myriad of bird nests in the ivy create the effect of a hanging basket cascading down the building.      

It appears that a baby bird has lost its way during fledging or fallen victim to the teeth and claws of the cat, Hey You, standing at the ready to pounce on any unsuspecting bird or tiny insect. Miller moths in season are a tasty morsel for a finicky palate.      

I was reading the morning paper, when suddenly I heard a great commotion and I saw Hey You leaping up and reaching for the bird, gravity bringing them quickly down out of sight. The bird escaped beneath the couch. Hey You looked at me with a quizzical expression. I secured the scene, shutting the door to the bed room. Then I moved the couch about a foot, and the baby bird flew directly over my head. Hey You was in the bathroom, so I closed the bathroom door.       

I searched high and low to find where the bird had landed. I decided to recruit Hey You! to help me in the search, and I opened the bathroom door. There sat Hey You! and a baby sparrow cornered by the bath rub, staring at each other a hair's breadth between them. Unwittingly I had locked them in the bathroom together.      

I grabbed a bath towel and commanded Hey You! to move so I could get between him and the bird. Holding the bath towel like a bull fighter's cape I moved in for the finish. The bird sat still, and I let the towel fall over it.       There was no sign of struggle when I picked up the bird with the towel. I carried  it to the balcony and released it. 

With renewed vigor the bird flew, high and above the busy avenue, From out of no where another sparrow like a heat-seeking rocket joined it in flight.