Yellow Bird

There are many kinds of birds around our house – sparrows, crows, blackbirds, cardinals, pigeons, robins, chickadees and geese, just to name a few. They hang around our gardens, munching on seeds, and each time I open my front door I am greeted with the flapping of wings as sparrows vacate our front bushes. That’s usual. A few days ago, however, there was something not usual in our driveway; a brilliant, yellow canary was munching on a plant strip right outside our door.

I wondered where it came from. Did it escape from a cage in someone’s house? Was it a wild variation that flew in from somewhere else? I thought that I might offer it some food and shelter in case it was a loose house bird and unused to being outside but as soon as I took a tiny step forward, it yelled at me in bird talk and flew off.

I watched for it later that afternoon and the next day, hoping that if it had been a needy house bird it would find its way back for shelter. But I didn’t see it again. I hoped that it would be safe on its own. It was certainly a surprise to see a canary in the wild but also a joy that remains in my visual memory.

A canary is part of the finch family:

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/finch-or-canary-whats-the-difference/