When I got home tonight after going for my run in 90+ degree heat, I went down to
the basement to remove the Aqua Seal from the freezer since I planned to patch
two scuff marks on my waders before we go to Oregon. While there I decided to
walk around and look at the window wells. Much to my amazement there was
another blackbird in the one below the maple tree. This baby didn’t appear to
be quite as developed as the one in the morning and didn’t fly as high off the
ground in its futile attempts to escape.

I texted Jane and told her I’d wait for her to come home to rescue the bird. Sure
enough it wasn’t long before she appeared and we got out the two ski poles
again. I gave her first shot, but she couldn’t get the bird to perch on the
basket and it didn’t have the flying ability of the bird in the morning. I then
gave it a shot, but had the same result. Meanwhile the helicopter mother
perched on the rim of the window well and screeched unrelentingly and even
flapped its wings and faked like it was going to swoop toward us.

We decided the ski pole method wasn’t going to work and reverted to the fishing
net. Jane found the lid to a bucket so we could cover the net if we managed to
scoop the bird. We opened the window in the basement (no screen on this one),
and I began trying to scoop the bird without injuring it. It took quite a few
attempts and the mother was now threatening to fly through the window into the
basement and screeching as loud as she could, but I managed to get the bird in
the net and quickly covered the opening and raced up the steps and let it free
on the patio.

The infant bird semi-flew to the fence and hid behind the ornamental grass. Jane and I then found an old sheet in the garage and stretched it across the
window well opening and anchored it with stones. Hopefully this is the end of
our rescue efforts for awhile.