Worry

We haven't seen Wellie all day.  I am trying not to worry. Besides missing her like crazy, well, sheesh, she's kind of vulnerable, being both wild and habituated to human company.

I wish I could simply chalk her absence up to growing up and moving on, and while that is certainly possible, such a clean break would surprise me.  She has been so regular with her routine, and very bossy monitoring our comings and goings (on walkies, to the barn, etc). She swoops in and greets almost every visitor to the house (and barn), checking out their vehicle, jewelery, and person.  We joked that she was becoming our guard bird, because she would occasionally screech & dive-bomb people jogging by our driveway.  Until she recognized them, anyway.  Seriously.

And then, today, we saw not a trace of her all day.

Usually, I watch her fly in toward the house from either of a couple different trees. When she would fly in from tree #1, she would very predictably get dive-bombed by an adult jay.  Soooo, my theories include, but are not limited to: 

a) she's been run off by a dominant jay, 
b) she's been captured by or is happily mooching from a smitten neighbor, 
c) she's been nabbed by a predator, 
or vaguely possibly, 
d) she's molting, and simply can't be seen in public. 

I miss her so much.