You most unlikely bird in the house?

[Dorts]

I have had many a Robin and Blue Tit come into the house, and once the cat brought in a Coot, unharmed! Today we had a Grey Wagtail.
I wondered what your most unlikely 'bird in the house' was?
Dorts.

[aeshna5]

I've only had 3 birds come into the house. First was a tame female Blackbird who came through the open front door begging for food.

Another was a Robin on Xmas Day (appropriate) who flew into the kitchen as I opened the back door, flew around the kitchen, before leaving again.

Final bird was a Starling that came down the chimney + quickly found the exit as I opened the front door!

Nothing as unexpected as a Coot!

[John_M]

Didn't happen to me unfortunately (or possibly fortunately) but one of my neighbours a few years ago had a swan in his kitchen.

[PMG]

I had a Manx Shearwater in my bath overnight once It was found on a rain wet road - think it must have thought the reflections were water and once it had landed it couldn't retake off. We took it to West Kirby the following day and it flew off strongly

A friend (out in the isles) had a wren chased by a merlin in his kitchen - the wren came thro the open back door and dived down the back of the cooker and the merlin circled the kitchen without touching any walls and straight back out the door. It took a while to coax the wren back out apparently .......... !

Pauline

[Stinky Bob]

We have had to put a screen up on the back door because we were always getting blackbirds and robins coming into the kitchen, the blackbirds I think had learnt that was where the dog food was, upstairs if we leave the landing window open we get house martins fly in. In the office out the back we are forever shoeing out robins who seem to like sitting and shitting on my monitors.

Onto other animals and we get hedgehogs and toads in the office and a couple of years ago I found a newt in the dogs basket (in the office) and until we made the chickens their own run they were always in the office and would occasionally lay an egg under one of the desks.

PS I have heard that in some parts of the UK that folklore says that if a robin flies into your house it is supposed to mean a death in the family.

[Farplace]

The most exciting bird to make it's own way into my house was a wren - it was winter time some years ago. The window was open, and I assume it was looking for spiders.
Cheating a bit, but I have had many fantastic birds in as a rescue, including a concussed kingfisher (which made a full recovery and was later released). Briefly I held it in my hands - it was like holding a rainbow.

[RobinP]

Our cat somehow managed to drag a fully grown Magpie through the cat-flap which then held off aforementioned cat until I was able to release it, wrapped up in a tea-towel (didn't fancy messing with that beak!).

Also had a goldcrest which sadly flew into the patio doors.

Robin

[Dorts]

Just a bit more on the Coot the cat brought in.
In the 70's we were living in a woodland cottage beside a stream, wildlife all around.
We had a cat but no cat-flat, so to allow it in at night we would leave a downstairs toilet window open, but not the toilet door. Nearly every morning the cat would have a 'gift' waiting for us, so we never knew what we would find when we the toilet door was opened.
The list is a long one and included (all alive and unharmed), Rabbits, Stoat, Weasel, Squirells, Mice, Rats, Water Voles, (there were plenty around in those days), a Moorhen, a Slow-worm, Frogs & Toads, and a variety of birds including the Coot.
I should point out that this was over a period of some 10 years or more.
Dorts.

[Cowgirl]

Like Stinky Bob ours was a chicken.

Hubby was having a lunchtime snooze, heard a noise in the kitchen & there was one of our chickens (escaped!) sitting on the edge of the sink, looking at him as if to say "What?"

Re folklore, I'd always been led to believe it was any type of bird in the house meant a death in the family/someone close.

I knew someones mother (who was part Romany) wouldn't allow even pictures of birds in the house.

[bigdave60dog]

We had a live whimbrel in last year.
Dave