Freddie the Freeloader

11-09-13  Mid afternoon.  John was on watch.  Tom was below napping and I was in the cockpit napping.  We were through the Gulf Stream finally and conditions had calmed down and waves were predictable and spaced far apart.  I woke up and John said quietly "Sabrina, check out our visitor."  There under the dodger was a tiny bird.  I have no idea what type of bird it was.  He seems nervous and confused.  He just couldn't seem to figure out why he could see out the dodger but why he couldn't fly out of it.  Only the starboard side door of the enclosure was open - this is where previously I was stretch out flat asleep.  Now I was blocking his exit. 

Tom joined us in the cockpit.  Freddie finally discovered the opening but instead of flying out of it, he seemed to calm down and start exploring the cockpit further.  He gradually warmed up to us and one by one checked each of us out.  He started with John, first hopping on his knee and then up his arm to his shoulder.  He did the same with me.  He sat on Tom's head for a bit and then later mine.  Finally he flew below.  It took quite some time to find him.  In our forward stateroom we had a gear hammock hanging from the ceiling.  He was perched in the far corner of that hammock, near the ceiling.  When Tom found him, he was hunkered down with his beak tucked up under his feathers - racked out asleep.  The waves swung the hammock some but he simply rocked back and forth, snoozing the whole time.  He stayed there all night.  Tom named him Freddie the Freeloader. 

The next morning Tom was on watch.  John was asleep in his cabin and I was on the SSB for the morning check in.  Freddie woke up and hung out on the galley shelf for a bit.  Then he joined Tom in the cockpit.  The afternoon before he was a very quiet bird, not making a peep....get it?  Ha!  A good nights sleep seemed to have given him is voice back and he hopped and flew around the cockpit, cheeping the whole time. From the sound of it, he was telling Tom quiet the tale when I joined them in cockpit.  He stayed with us for a bit more then flew out and sat on the dinghy on the foredeck for a few mins.  He flew back into the cockpit one more time, chirped a bit and then took off across the waves.  We joked that he was off to the next rally boat.  ha!  But wait....the next radio check in we heard another boat report of a warbler visiting.  I have no idea if Freddie is a Warbler but it makes sense. 

Freeloading Freddie probably uses various southbound rallies to hitch rides south...no unlike some crew members!  We joked that Freddie's other feathered friends arrive a week later and say "Freddie, I just don't know how you do it!  How the heck to make such good time south?"