The Thud

Just a little bit ago I was in my bathroom putting on my make up when I heard a loud "Thud" on either my front door or picture window. The thoughts that raced through my mind: That's the morning news--wait, dummy, we don't take the paper; I wonder if its a UPS package-- wait, it's no one's birthday, and we haven't ordered anything; Is it a stupid neighbor dog trying to join our family?--I sure hope not! So I put down my eye shadow and peeked out my curtain. Nothing there. I unlocked the locks on my door and looked out. Nothing within my height's range. Then I opened the screen and saw this red headed woodpecker gasping for air on my front porch! Its eyes were slightly opened, and his beak was moving, and all I could do was just watch. Then he stopped moving and his eyes shut. I couldn't tell if he was still breathing or not--I was barefoot and didn't want to step out. So, I grabbed my camera. My older 2 monkeys are not home this morning and I wanted to capture the moment so I can show them later. I almost shed a tear for this bird. But before doing so, I got curious as to what he hit; my door or my window. So I started looking for clues. That's when I saw this:Pardon the lack of good camera and photography skills. This gunk was fresh and still running. Which then led me to the questions of What Exactly Is It? Was it the remains of a big bug the bird had been chasing? Was it the spit knocked out of the bird? Was it bird puke? Was it bird brain matter??? EEEWWWW Gross. Whatever it is, I need to clean it up before it becomes the permanent "Hello" sign on my front door. Well, I was sure the bird was dead, but was trying to hang onto the little hope that maybe, just maybe he was only stunned. I was wondering how I was going to dispose of said bird before my kids come home today. And do I bury it, or wrap it in a plastic sack and toss him in the trash? He's too big to flush! Do I call the conservation dept? and if I do are they going to blame this accident on moi? The Predicament! Instead of worrying any more, I picked up the phone and called my mom to share the "You'll never believe what's on my front porch" story. We chatted for a bit, and then in the middle of her monologue, I heard a noise. Because I have the great and wonderful cordless phone, I continued listening to my mother and crossed the room to look out on my porch. Low and behold, the woodpecker was gone! And I interrupted my mom to tell her so! :p I did see this in the place of the bird:
(I didn't zoom in close enough, but if you look real hard, there is a red smear in the center to the right, and a wet spot in the center towards the left. If you must, look again at the first pic of the bird, and you can see his head was at the blood end, and his lower self was above the wet spot.)(I just realized that if you click on the picture, you'll get a good blown up zoom!! Now you can really see what I'm talking about.) Why, I do believe the birdie has a head trauma, and soiled itself. I don't have to call the conservation dept, I don't have to bury it, and I don't have to poke it with a stick to see if its still breathing. The bird flew away! All silliness aside, I am really thankful my door did not kill this bird. I am thankful God made birds resilient. And I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 6:25-34. Not that I was worrying about what I will eat and wear today, but the message is our heavenly Father cares for and feeds them, and that he sees us as much more valuable than the birds! And I was worrying about all the silly notions of how I was going to dispose of this bird when the bottom line is Do Not Worry. I hope this red headed woodpecker's head heals up nicely and he has a long life, and remembers the path to my door so he can avoid it! :)