Little Bird

 I was sitting in my chair working on my computer when I heard a loud sound. Something hit the house. I decided to investigate. As I went to the front door, I discovered a little bird on our front porch. He was breathing hard and stunned. Marcia helped me document his visit.

The bird was very calm (stunned). You can see that I am holding him loosely. He did not struggle or make any noises.

 I took him outside and opened my hand, but he would not fly away.

 I set him in the fork of our tree out front so he could collect himself.

After uploading all these pictures and writing the above commentary, I went outside to check on the little bird.  He was sitting in the same spot, but his mouth was now closed. I talked to him a bit, and then he decided to fly away. He flew off to a tree in our neighbor's back yard, about 100 ft. away. Looks like he will be all right.

I did a search online and discovered that this was probably a cedar waxwing.

Confirmation. I emailed some pictures to the Smithsonian asking if this was indeed a cedar waxwing. Received the following:

Yes, that is definitely a cedar waxwing and it looks like an adult. Not sure why the crest wasn't up, it may have been scared and be able to keep it flattened.
Sometimes, in late winter and early spring, the waxwings are feeding on berries that have been around all winter, and have started to ferment. Flying can be a bit problematic after ingesting such fruit.
Gregory Gough | IT Specialist, Information Technology
National Zoological Park
Smithsonian Institution