I am a specialist and worked in an elementary school for many years. One workday in 2012 as I was climbing the inside steps of the school I unexpectedly felt a bird land on my right shoulder. Even though I could feel the bird and the breeze from that of flapping wings, I could not see one. I knew this bird was Francis, a pet Ring-Neck Turtle Dove that I had for 24 years. He died in September of 2009.

This experience was extraordinary but the really peculiar thing about this visit was that I saw nothing, but only felt Fran land and sit on my shoulder. Also very odd was that I knew instinctively that it was Francis who visited me; it was his presence and without any consideration I automatically knew it was him. The experience came completely out of the blue and I hadn't been thinking of him at all. I don't know when he actually left my shoulder either. It was not frightening at all.

I purchased Fran as a chick when I was in college and he witnessed much of my life. On one or two occasions I took him to school with me to share with the students. He was a people lover and was very friendly. While most of his time was spent in a cage, he was occasionally allowed to fly around the house or bathe in the sink. When our son was a baby, Fran would fly to the crib and watch him perched on the railing. He liked to be around us. After a summer of ill health he died while he rested on my chest.

Background Information:

Was the date of the experience significant in any way?            No

General geographic location of experience:  Spokane, Washington

Details of location of experience and your activity at the time of experience:          Climbing stairs in my workplace

Degree of bereavement for deceased immediately prior to the experience:      No sadness and/or grief feelings

Degree of alertness immediately prior to experience:            Fully alert

After your experience, did you consider the contents of your experience:    Wonderful

Have you had multiple experiences?   Yes    2 major ADC experiences

Was this experience difficult to express in words? No

Did you ONLY sense an awareness of presence of the deceased without actually seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling them?      No

Did you hear the deceased or hear something associated with the deceased?          Yes

          Describe what you heard, how clearly you heard it and what was communicated:   I heard flapping wings and the associated sound of air movement.

          Did the voice or sound seem to originate externally or outside of you, inside you, or did you not hear a voice or sound, but had a sense of knowing what was communicated?     Outside

          If you heard a voice or sound, was it similar or dissimilar from the voice or sound the deceased made when they were alive?     It was the same.

          Is there any possibility what you heard was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   No

          Was there any possible impairment to your hearing at the time of the experience?   No

Did you feel a touch or experience any physical contact from the deceased?         Yes

I was touched on the right shoulder and neck.

            Was the touch familiar or unfamiliar? Yes, it was the same as Fran’s behavior when he was physically alive.

          Was anything communicated by the touch? Perhaps, internal, intuitive, “Hi Brian, I’m with you.”

            Is there any possibility what you felt was from any other source present in the surroundings at the time of your experience?   No

Did you see the deceased?       No

Did you smell a distinct smell, scent, fragrance or odor associated with the deceased? No

How long did the experience last?      It was weirdly fleeting. Perhaps 15 seconds.

Was the beginning and end of the experience gradual or more sudden?       Sudden introduction and gradual to leave without any defined departure.

Could you sense the emotions or mood of the deceased?          Yes

Yes, akin to “Hi Brian! I’m with you.”

Did the deceased give you information you did not previously know?  Other than Fran was alive and well in some other dimension, no.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience?          Experience was definitely real

          Was the experience dream like in any way?  No

Describe in detail your feelings/emotions during the experience:  I was just carrying on with my workday. No particular emotion.

Was there any emotional healing in any way following the experience? Uncertain

What was the best and worst part of your experience?          Best: Astonishment and joy. Worst: I eagerly want it to occur again. I invite it but nothing as dramatic has occurred again… yet.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience? Yes                Describe:     This is one of two major ADC experiences that has increased my interests in this area. I feel that I must delve deeper into the science of these kinds of things.