Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Hawfinch, Kernebider  Stenknäck

The terrifying story about a little bird - a Hawfinch

I was about to paint a wall I therefore scraped old paint off with my wire brush, when I heard the sound of a bird, which is not unusual for this time at year.

When I finished with the wire brush I needed a sandwich, so I went to my kitchen and through the window I saw the most beatyfull little bird ever seen. It was rambleling around on my lawn. The finest little bird I had ever seen, so I picked up my camera and photographed it through the venetian blinds. It didn't take notice at me at all even it took notice of me.

I sneaked out of the house to get even better pictures and came closer to the bird. Again It didn't notice me and suddenly i flew towards me and landed on my camera, which I understandably don't have a photo of. It was so beatyfull and it came with a litte chirp all the time. My thought was "the mother could come to hack my head at any time", but it didn't show up at all.

The little bird was sitting on my expensive camera and apparently had no plan to leave it. As I did not want to have my  camera exposed with bird shit, I walked about ten meter to the garden table and here I placed the camera and the bird flew down to the ground where it immediately felt in love with my toes and hopped up on my foot.

I would like to feet the litte bird, therefore I tried bird seed which I had, but it was of no interest at all. Maybe it was used to worms and that kind of stuff, and the closest I could come to that was liver pate, and it seemed to like it, but I had to put it directy in the throat. Obviously the bird had not learned to eat or find its own food.

The bird followed me all over, but liked mostly to walk rather than fly. Once it followed me from the outside to the inside the house and flew directly into the wall in my living room. No good. I raised my arm and it hopped upon it and we just walked out. I placed it on the table outside and closed the door. It was as wonderfull sunny day - and the bird was just lovely and beatyfull.

The little bird was so trusting and sooo sweet.

I picked up some bird books, I didn't know which kind, but the little thing just hopped up on the books, so I couldn't look up more. After all the little bird was more amusing than the books.

I didn't know what to do with the bird, my projct was to paint a wall and maybe the bird had another project - to get on with it's life, so I fetched the ladder and made ready for painting the wall. Allthough I live i Denmark I have a summerhouse i Sweden nearby and mostly the summerhouses in Sweden are "Swedish-red".

I heard the little bird all the time. It was chirping the little chirp. Suddenly I could not see the little thing but I could hear the chirping - the bird was sitting on one of the steps of the ladder. Luck I was aware of that!!
I moved the ladder in order to continue the painting and picked up the paint bucket. Suddenly the bird flew to me maybe it would sit on my hand - the hand in which I had the paint bucket - and in a split second the bird landed in the red paint!!!
Such things may not happen - my little bird friend - my lovely bird. I was so sad - not in panic but miserable.

I rushed to get water to clean it up. And I poured water and water on the little creature - it was so small so petite and now shivering. It was no good. The litte bird was shivering of coldness.


I placed the bird in the grass in the sun - I could have cried - the most unfortunate for a little bird - no mother and now filled with red paint and water. I placed it in the luke warm water for several times - which it did not like, it flapped with the wings, which was good. The fine white tail feathers was still light red and the breast was full of paint. And now it ditn't chirp at all. I placed it in the sun and hoped it would dry - but it just shivered and I was at a loss what to do.

I was so much doubtful and time was short - I went to my neighbour and asked him for help and advise. He came, saw the bird, and we agreed to, that the little bird must be cleaned totally. If we didn't remove the paint, it would die. So we scrubbed the little bird - which it die not like. Afterwards we dried the bird with a hair drier - which it seemed to like.

Now the paint problem was solved, but I am not a good mother for this little creature. I can't find food for it and have problems feeding it. We placed it on a branch in a tree knowing that the bird was not able to find or eat food and probably would be eaten by a fox or cat.

Could the little creature eat birds seed I would gladly have fed it here in my summerhouse in Sweden and in my home in Copenhagen this in a cage. I would have loved it.

I did check the bird several times during the evening and night. It was sitting on the same branch all the time. The next morning it was gone.

I have my own thoughts about what happend...

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