Ben and I were in the kitchen this morning when he opened the door to take out some trash. There stood Mr. Mike, giant mocking in his mouth, flapping him in the face, but he was smiling. Ben said, "Mr. Mike! NO!" and he let the bird go...on our screened in porch. The poor thing flapped and floundered as we stood there with doors open and encouraging little swats to the bird in the direction of the portals of freedom.

He dropped to the bottom and escaped out kitty door.

He then flew high to a tree, and is surely off now telling all his friends about his brush with death.

Mr. Mike sat on the patio, grey feather sticking out of his mouth, looking rather sad that his present to us escaped.

This may have been revenge gifting...there is a particularly mean mocking bird that enjoys swooping down on Mr. Mike's head while he prowls the perimeter of our yard. But maybe it was just a random crime against all Mocking Birds. Clearly, he never read Harper Lee's classic...

We thanked him and can only assume the damn thing flew directly into his mouth. How else would he have caught that?!?!?

Well, he is an excellent hunter...

So either his skills are sharp as ever, or that laying under the bird feeder with a sign pointing to his open mouth that says "Fud" thing finally paid off!