Our Friend Flicker

In honor of the scarlet flash on either cheek of our latest wildlife friend, I write this in bright red. He/she is a Red-Shafted Flicker (a songbird), whom I found today being used as an unwilling toy by Folly-dog. Presumably the bird was wounded before (although no blood evident)because I can't imagine how else Folly could've gotten to her other than on the ground. Folly was most intrigued: is it a rodent with feathers that feel weird in my mouth? Fortunately, she's pretty gentle and obedient, so she left it when I told her to, and I could then pick it up. Flicker then was gently boxed and taken to the Wildlife Center about 20 minutes north, where they were most grateful and promised to do their best to heal her/him.
And just yesterday Twist had a little adventure next door, where he managed to squeeze his determined little self under a spot in the fence we weren't aware existed and proceed to ignore our calls for 45 minutes while he worried some poor creature deep in the neighbors' woodpile. Darn terriers. Once we located him (I'm considering belling him.), we extricated him with a firm grip on his tail, which is exactly what Patterdale tails are designed for. Finally put one part of him to good use.
The fence has been reccyed but good today and all even theoretical escape hatches plugged solidly.