How to get a bird out of your house.

May 15, 2024. Day .

I'm getting a late start on everything today thanks to a special visitor who stopped by: a tiny bird. Possibly a sparrow.
The poor little thing flew in the door and tried to fly out through the glass transom above the front door. Now confused, it flew to the bright window in the kitchen, a window that can't be opened. I had no idea what to do. I wondered if a butterfly net would work to catch it, but I don't have a butterfly net. My next thought was to lay down a line of bird seed, but I don't have bird seed either. I broke up some small pieces of pumpernickel and made a little trail. but this bird seemed not to like to land on the ground. It was hanging by its little bitty talons on the kitchen hallway wall. I'm not sure what it found to grip on to.

I solved this the way any 21st Century boy would: I (DuckDuckGo)ggled "help bird out of house". Bob Vila's webpage gave me some advice, which I will summarize for you here.

First, make sure there's just one way out or the bird will be confused. Try to make the exit the brightest spot. To do this I had to get out a ladder and duct tape a sheet over my uncurtained kitchen window, and shut the back doors. I thought the bird left while I was doing all this, but she or he was still inside resting on my art supplies. She took one more crack at the transom window, then got her wings flapping in the right direction and sailed out the door.

A couple of sketches made during a phone call, before all this bird business: