Every time I hear a thud against the kitchen window, I cringe. The noise means that a bird has mistaken the glass for c;ear passage and, alas, all too often the only "passage" is a trip to the hereafter. Even so, I race outside, for if the flier hasn't broken its neck, it will still be lying down, stunned and addled... and easy prey for the local felines. On those occasions when I'm reasonably certain the bird will eventually be fine, I cradle it, keep it warm and comfortable, and make sure that it will remain out of harm's way until it's ready to fend for itself. Those other times, I hold it gently until it passes, then, after saying a little blessing, commit it to the earth in the garden. When this Gray Catbird hit the window this afternoon, I wasn't sure of its fate, but the bird didn't seem to have had a fatal encounter, and after about a half-hour of TLC, it was airborne. It still looked a bit frazzled, but that was certainly understandable.