Just thank Willie

So, I caught this quick article on comcast.net...

Parrot honored for warning that girl was choking

DENVER — A parrot whose cries of alarm alerted his owner when a little girl choked on her breakfast has been honored as a hero.

Willie, a Quaker parrot, has been given the local Red Cross chapter's Animal Lifesaver Award.

In November, Willie's owner, Megan Howard, was baby-sitting for a toddler. Howard left the room to use the bathroom and the little girl, Hannah, started to choke on her breakfast.

Willie repeatedly yelled "Mama, baby" and flapped his wings, and Howard returned in time to find the girl already turning blue.

Howard saved Hannah by performing the Heimlich maneuver but said Willie "is the real hero."

"The part where she turned blue is always when my heart drops no matter how many times I've heard it," Hannah's mother, Samantha Kuusk, told KCNC-TV. "My heart drops in my stomach and I get all teary eyed."

Willie got his award during a "Breakfast of Champions" event Friday attended by Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper.

As I read, so many thoughts ran through my brain...

Wow, what a wonderful story... what a wonderful bird!

Would our dog, Allegra, provide the same life saving service or would she just wag her tail and knock the choking child to the floor with her tail's massive force?

I wonder what the child was eating?

Perhaps, we need a bird?

Can parents/caregivers not even go to the bathroom without fear of causing death? Must we all have a parrot to ensure the safety of the next generation?

Is it any wonder, I am the distracted birder?

Despite my somewhat irrational thought process, I am always delighted to see a positive avian story make a headline.

Go, Willie!!!!!

Winter Storm

A Quick Look at Jug Bay

I made a quick stop and walk at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. Among a few birds not worth mentioning (Titmouse, Crow, Vulture), I saw my first warbler of the season. A Yellow-rumped Warbler flittering through the trees. This is a good time mention my favorite bird nickname/alias: the Butterbutt.