This morning I was doing my typical Sunday morning routine, which consists of pretty much nothing, and went to the kitchen for a coffee. I noticed that one of my cats was sitting next to the basement door which was an odd place for the cat to be sitting but I didn't give it a second thought. A bit later I went to refill my coffee cup and the cat was in the same place. The only difference was the cat was staring intently at the bottom of the door. There was something down there. I listened at the door but didn't hear anything. Deciding I had no choice but go down and investigate, I put on my shoes and grabbed some equipment: cell phone, flashlight, and a pistol.
I opened the basement door and turned on the light. The first thing I noticed was a mop that usually leans in a corner was knocked over. I checked the sidedoor that leads from the outside into the basement and it was closed, locked, and intact. I began down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, an intruder emerged. It was a bird!! The bird started flying around trying to escape, but had no exit. I went back up to the sidedoor, opened it, and then went back down to get the bird flying in the right direction. After the bird had made its escape, I closed the sidedoor and inspected the basement. No windows were open or broken and I didn't feel any cold drafts coming in. I looked and looked. No openings anywhere. I can't imagine that it came down the chimney. There is a snow cover at the top it would have had to get around and then a 40 foot drop to the bottom with no openings for the bird to crawl through. That bird could not have been in my basement for long as there is no food or water available. How it got into my basement is a mystery.