I like birds. I think they are among the most fascinating animals on this planet. I don’t however, want them inside my workplace.
That is exactly what happened tonight, about an hour before closing. One of the younger girls saw a medium-sized black and white bird that had flown in through the open door. That particular one just took a quick swoop into the building and found its way back out through the door quickly, but that was when I noticed the much smaller bird sitting on one of the light fixtures in the shop part of the diner.
The thing was tiny, some kind of sparrow I think, and did NOT want to go through the door. We tried for a while to guide it in the right direction without touching it, but with no result. In the end, one of our customers managed to get close enough to catch it, and he carefully transferred it over to me. Holding it in cupped hands, I was terrified that I was going to hurt the tiny thing as I took it outside to let it free.
For a moment as I opened my hands to let it go, I was worried that I had accidentally hurt it, because it stayed sitting in my hand, quite still, for maybe half a minute before it even moved. I think it was probably in shock from being captured, and that’s why it didn’t move. It did eventually fly off. and it looked to be no worse for its adventure inside the diner and being carried by a creature that must seem massive to it.
Like I said, I like birds, and this one was absolutely adorable, tiny as it was. I do wish they wouldn’t fly into the building however, more for their own sake than anything.