Eye Contact

We had a major diversion this morning when this little bird hit the kitchen window with a loud thump. My first thought was how to help it, and my second thought was get the camera. Really, in that order. Since the primary concern was to protect it from roaming neighbor cats, I just hung out with the bird and watched it gradually come to its senses. We stared at each other for maybe ten minutes and then I wandered into the garden following a wasp. I was never more than a dozen feet from his perch, but when I came back shortly for the bird, he was gone without so much as a chirp or the whisper of a wing. I would have heard a predator, so I'm assuming he just shook himself off and went on with his day. I've never seen a yellow bird here before, and I'm terrible at bird books: is it a baby, a juvenile, an adult, male or female, migrating or native...it would be terrific if someone recognized this guy and let me know.

Footnote: looks like she's a female yellow warbler. Thanks to all the ornithologists in the house!