(re-post)
Some of the sparrows who have come to the Polish Deli patio in the morning over the years have such distinct personalities that they make themselves known and I tend to look out for them. There was one who would perch on my shoe and stare up at me. Then fly to the ground but wait on the peanut she knew would be placed on that shoe for her. There was another who chatted constantly in the most endearing of chirps. Another with loose feathers hanging here and there; I was not sure if he was ill or simply rumpled! This one has only one foot. It was likely an injury rather than a birth defect because there was a bird once with no leg at all who moved around as if one had never been present. This bird is a bit awkward, a bit unsteady, but manages well on the ground and going to and from flight. And he stopped eating and looked at the camera when I took his picture.
The crows followed along as I walked home, waiting on their dry cat food, hopping along the overhead wires and then onto the school fence. Some days they are vocal. This day they were quietly patient. They were not at all bothered by the shadow.