A female House Sparrow seconds after an accident

This morning my attention was caught by a large bang on our kitchen window. I immediately went outside with my camera to see what had caused the noise.

On a table on the veranda was a female House Sparrow looking very sad indeed, but still breathing. I only took the one photo and backed off so I wasn’t adding to the bird’s stress. After about ten minutes she flew off, probably with a very sore head.

Window strikes are very common and can cause birds severe damage and often death. In our case, in certain light conditions, birds flying along in our garden think they can see the way clear to keep flying further into the garden. The reflection fools them into thinking the way is clear – until their flight comes to a sudden thudding stop when they hit the glass. Sadly, there is little we can do to prevent this. I am pleased the bird recovered and was able to fly. Some are not so fortunate.

A little later I discovered a dead male House Sparrow lying in the driveway. I’m not sure if his demise occurred at the same time as the female. Perhaps he was chasing her to mate. I guess it’s possible.