Kinky Tail
By a twist of fate
It's the tail. The right-angle turn in it, like a cartoon bird going around a corner
Sleek and gray is this little bird, but this morning something looks odd about it. A distinct kink makes the tail look weird.
Otherwise, the bird seems fine, full of energy and purpose, with the rest of its plumage neatly in place. I grab my binoculars and take a more careful look.
I think for a moment that the tail might be broken, but the feathers seem to be intact. Just bent. Like if the cleaners put the crease the wrong place in your trousers.
Did the bird get its tail caught in a door, or what? I put on my parka to go out in the icy morning and refill the bird feeders. The titmouse is gone. But now I'm watching for it.
Why the kink?
A few minutes later, the titmouse comes back again to check if more peanuts have appeared. I think it's the same bird, because of the way it alwaus lands exactly the same way on the stump. And because of the tail, though the bend is much reduced now.
I don't know for sure, but I have theory about how the tail of the titmouse got kinked.
On cold winter nights, some birds will go into a hole in a tree to stay warm. Not all species dare to do such a thing. Most birds are afraid to go into a dark hole.
It takes a species that normally nests in cavities, such as bluebirds, kestrels, screech owls, and of course Tufted Titmice. Cavities are scarce and precious in most places. Commodious accommodations may all be taken. A bird might have to squeeze into a tight cavity. A tail could get bent.
The tail ends well
But what's a bird to do, go out all alone into the cold, dark, and freezing rain? A titmouse might put up with the being cramped and carry the evidence into the next day.
I think that's the tale of our titmouse's tail.
It pleases me to think that in the unmanicured trees of my backyard are cavities where birds are sheltering through the night. That's reason enough to leave a dead tree standing. Reason enough not to trim off a drooping broken branch, developing a cavity where the branch snapped. Reason to preserve the holey snag beside the pond until it topples of its own internal processes.
There are better things in life than a perfectly trimmed yard.