Three days after my mother died in 1994, a Black Phoebe appeared in a similar manner at my parents' house in Gualala, California.
Before and since then I have heard story after story of a bird appearing after the death of a loved one. When the husband of my friend of 52 years was dying of ALS in 1989, he told her that he would appear to her as a Baltimore oriole after his death. A pair of Baltimore orioles appeared in her yard after his death and built a nest and soon there were fledglings.
Here I am, finding that I do have something to write. I am still gathering photos to celebrate the life of my friend whose death shook me to the core and whose friendship I have treasured since we met in college in 1967.
Here is the view of the backyard of her dream house:
She loved the music of Laura Nyro and Nina Simone:
Update: Here is a screen shot of a just-received video of the mystery bird:

