We have had all kinds of visitors in our studio: musicians, politicians, magicians, writers, poets, comedians, pageant winners, kids camp tour groups, high school and college media classes and more. But this visitor was strikingly different.

Quite often as we sit in the studio working, we'll hear a bird smack into the windows. It is always startling and I consistently look out to see if the bird is alright because a couple of years ago, one wasn't.

There are apparently multiple reasons why birds do this, including; thinking the reflection is another bird invading their territory (they may have a nest nearby), or they don't see a pane of glass, they just see trees and sky and continue on their path. Whatever the motive is, the result is often, awful.

The Humane Society of the U.S. indicates that half of the birds which fly into windows, die. They also offer tips on helping an injured or stunned bird and what you can do to make your windows more bird-safe.

The little visitor tapping at our windows last week made quite a ruckus for about 5 or 6 minutes. Thankfully he didn't fly full bore into the glass, but simply hovered here and there, would sit for a bit at the bottom and then flitter back up and down.

I grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures through the window, until he eventually flew away. I've never gotten that close to a beautiful goldfinch before and I doubt I will again. It was a lovely visit, even if it was through a pane of glass.


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