 |
| Fin |
(Father and son looking out of a window at a bird feeder
with one goldfinch sitting on it)
Dad, why is that bird all by himself? I thought they stayed
together in flocks.
 |
| Batty |
I don’t know Billy, but I know a story about a very brave
Goldfinch who was also alone. Want to hear it?
Oh yes please!
Once upon a time a flock of goldfinches were getting ready
to go north for the summer to nest in Virginia .
They were eating flower and weed seeds to build up energy for the long flight.
One of the flock, a young male named Fin, had a cold and was feeling very weak
and woozy. The flock leader, Grandfather finch, had delayed leaving to give Fin
time to get better, but Fin was still very sick.
“We will have to leave the day after tomorrow if we are
going to get to the nesting grounds in time” said Grandfather. But he thought
to himself “I doubt if Fin will be well enough to leave or strong enough to
make the trip”.
The birds all started to talk at once, some wanting to leave
now and others wanting to wait for Fin, but Grandad held up his wing and said
“We will wait until tomorrow to see how Fin is feeling, but we will leave the
day after.”
While the argument was going on, Fin was listening quietly
from a nearby bush. He was very sad that the flock was being divided by his
sickness and did not want to be the cause of that kind of trouble. He decided
that the best thing for him to do would be to disappear and make the flock
think he had been eaten by a cat so they would unite and leave in time.
Fin flew to the edge of the woods and pulled a few feathers
from his breast and let them float to the ground. He then flew into the woods
to a hollow tree he had spotted a few days ago while he was looking for weeds.
As he crept into the hollow, he was frightened by a pair of
eyes looking at him from the darkness. He said “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this
hollow had someone living in it.” As he started to leave, a small voice
squeaked “That’s OK; I live on the celling and don’t use the floor. You can
stay and we can share the room.”
Fin said “Thanks, but will you tell me who you are?” The
voice squeaked “My name is Batty, and I am a bat. I live in this tree in the
winter, where I sleep most of the time, and then go to a wonderful cave in Virginia for the summer.
What a wonderful life!!!”
“My name is Fin, and I am a Goldfinch. I am too sick to
leave on the spring migration to the nesting grounds, so I am hiding. The flock
will think I have been eaten by a cat and will leave on time. It makes me sad
to stay behind, but the flock has got to get to the nesting ground in time to
lay eggs and raise babies.”
A foraging finch from the flock found Fin’s feathers and
cried “EVERYONE!! I have found feathers from Fin’s breast. He must have been
attacked. He is GONE!!”
Well, the flock was really upset, but Grandfather decided to
leave the next morning. Fin’s mate was really upset, but she had spent the rest
of the afternoon looking and calling for Fin, and she was convinced he was
dead.
Fin and Batty watched as the flock left. Batty suggested
that when Fin was feeling better and stronger, they could travel together, as
the nesting ground was not too far from her cave.
So, after a week or so, the two unlikely companions and new
friends left for Virginia. They traveled at night and rested by day. They flew
through storms and cold and often didn’t eat for days. But eventually they
reached the area where Fin’s flock nested for the summer, and Batty flew off
alone to the cave. Fin called after him “BATTY!! Come back to visit, and
remember, we are going South together this fall!”
After a few days, Fin found the flock and was reunited with
his Grandfather and his mate, a beautiful young finch named Gold.
Together they built a nest and raised a fine brood of baby
finches. Batty visited often, and once the flock got used to her was always a
welcomed friend. In the fall, they all went South together and found peace in
the winter feeding grounds.
Strangely, no-one ever asked Fin what had happened, and Fin
never told.
In bird circles, the tale of the Strange Friends and Their
Adventure is still told, and many baby Goldfinches are named “Fin”.
Image: Bat: http://www.interstatetermite.com/bats/images/littlebrownbat.jpg
Image: Bat: http://www.interstatetermite.com/bats/images/littlebrownbat.jpg
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