Belle and Sparty are experienced flyers, but there’s a new upstart in the air–Dodger. While the little blue bird has so far struggled to keep up with his fully flighted friends (I helped Dodger join the other two on the curtain rod in the above photo), he is now not only staying aloft (gliding isn’t exactly the right word for the intense flapping the little bird does) but actually gaining lift briefly during his flight before descending and sometimes still clunking into something (though he now usually lands smoothly on something). I love the spirit of aviation I see in Dodger–watching him take off along with the other two, even though he can only join them for part of the way, is a very uplifting experience, a reminder of why I so enjoy hanging out with these wild little birds.