Yesterday I was bicycling through the wilds of Roane County, ambling up this ridge, when I spotted an object in the road ahead. At first I thought it was a leaf, but as I approached I saw that it was slowly moving, not blowing across the lane, on legs.
I had happened across a very young bird (unknown species) who was not long removed from the nest. Its wings weren’t developed enough for it to fly, and it was walking/hopping in a directionless lost manner on the road. It barely moved when I rolled up to it on my bike, indicating that it was not yet aware of its surroundings.
Although the traffic on this road is not heavy (there was no vehicles in sight when I stopped) I knew that the outlook for this chick was not good if I left it there. A few minutes on the road would be enough to do it in.
So I stopped the bike to “rescue” it. The only problem is that I am not a good animal handler. At all. I have difficulty holding and treating my cat, when necessary. Here we’re dealing with a wild animal.
I was able to grab the chick easily enough–as I said, it seemed stunned. But issues arose when I picked it up. I didn’t want to squeeze it too hard and harm it, so I grasped it loosely. Sudden it started fluttering and escaped my grasp, flopping to the ground near the center lines.
I felt exposed standing in the road, holding my bike while trying to corral this bird. At any time a pickup truck could come barreling around the corner, creating an incident.
No time to dally, I caught the chick again. I held it more firmly this time, but started to feel insecure again when it began wiggling. So I quickly took a couple steps toward the edge of the road and tossed it into the vegetation several feet away.
My pitch would not have won me a spot as a zookeeper, but I suspect the bird survived the involuntary flight intact. Definitely less traumatic than falling from a nest.
My “rescue” came none too soon; a few seconds later a couple pickup trucks rounded the turn below and zoomed by. The first one barely allowed me any space as it passed. Suffice it to say the bird wouldn’t have been offered any.
Did I save the chick? We’ll never know. I’d like to think I made a difference. But frankly, in that state, mired in vegetation, the odds of its survival didn’t seem good. I heard chirping nearby–possibly the mother? If so, perhaps she would help it. Otherwise, who knows.
I do know what its fate would have been if it remained on the road.