# A funny thing happened with a bird. There is a lesson here.



## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

Hello all! I haven't really been around much because I've been so busy working, but I just thought this crowd would appreciate this story. Before I start, I will quickly say that Beck is doing quite well, although living a slower life nowadays. He seems quite comfy and happy though. 

So. My story starts with the overriding moral of the story: for the love of all that is good and holy, DON'T. TAKE. A BIRD. IN YOU CAR. Without a proper carrier. In particular a wild bird. I have learned my lesson. Never again shall I help an endangered baby bird. Well, maybe...

I was at the barn early yesterday morning and was cleaning out the indoor riding arena. There are a ton of nests in the rafters and baby birds on the ground that have fallen or are fledging are very common. Probably 90% get eated by the cats or dogs or crushed by horses-- not a good spot for a baby bird. So I saw a little sparrow hopping around, fully feathered and ready to fledge, but just not quite off the ground yet. I took pity on him, scooped him up, found a coffee cup in the garbage and plopped him in it, planning to drive him home and put him in my garden where there are no major predators around. I guess I really should ahve looked around more for more birds after I saw the first, because the dogs and cats grabbed and killed 3 more in front of me while I was on my horse out there. I felt pretty bad about that  But it's nature I guess.

So I went to take my one surviving little guy home. I thought he was definitely not flying yet, so I wasn't worried about the coffee cup not having a lid. AS SOON as I opened my car door and stepped in, SURPRISE! Just kidding! I can fly! Fluttered out and landed on the floor in front of the driver's seat. I went to grab him and he jumped up towards the pedals, and before I could grab him, scrambled up into the little hole above the pedals. Gone. Me on the ground, arm up to my elbow reaching into the undercarriage beneath the wheel, searching blindly for baby bird. GONE. 

I had to leave so I could get home for work. So I drove home with a bird somewhere way up in the workings of my car under the hood. For all I knew, some moving piece in the car would kill or electricute it as soon as I started the car. I kep checking at intervals all day to see if it had fluttered out. Nope.

FINALLY, 24 hours later, I went out this morning to check. I heard chirping as soon as I went into the garge, and I held my breath. Opened the car door and it got louder, and there he was on the passenger seat floor. When I went to grab him he started scuttling towards the same hole and I was like NO. WAY. Snatched him and released him in the garden, and he's now flapping anf grub hunting to his heart's content.

Almost died. Not even my car, it's my Mom's. I was like, "what if itt dies in there? It will start to rot. The car will have to be dismatled..."

Sooo. No matter how much you want to help a wild bird. Just... don't put it in your car.
LMAO


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

HAHAHAHA! 

I am an AVON lady and I regularly distribute books to my customers. I drive on the wrong side of the (American) road and put the books in the cubbies we have under the mailboxes in my area. I know spring is here for sure the first time a bird flies into my minivan after being poked by a book as they tend to nest way in the backs of the cubbies. 

I am smart enough to roll down all the windows in my minivan, but it's inevitable that my car will get pooped in 6-8 times before the bird escapes. 

And no, it's not smart to look first as I had one bird fly directly into my face, almost causing me to lose and eye. 

:lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hahaha, oh, that would have been so stressful! At the wildlife shelter I work at we have a lot of baby sparrows right now, they are soooo cute but yes they sure can fly. :lol: We have them in an outdoor aviary and just have to go "find" them to feed them every hour. :roll:


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

My initial concern for the bird, I hate to admit, turned to self preservation fear like "Dad. Is going. to KILL me." I considered just not saying anything, and acting totally puzzled when it started to smell and shocked when the service people found a bird in the under workings... I think that's the only thing I could have done ahhah. If I said I brought a bird into the car and it flew up into it Dad would either kill me or die first himself of a heart attack lmao. He can't even handle it when a bird poops on the OUTSIDE of the car. Wild bird loose deep within? Baaaad move.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I've taken a wild bird on 2 separate occasions...without proper carriers...

Once, I was still little and my mom, sister and I were on our way to drive 1hr to my sister's school to do something. On the way, we saw a mourning dove on the ground, not moving. Going closer, he still didn't move. Mom got out of the car, and went to pick up the bird. The dove had a wound on his side. So we took him into the car, got an alcohol pad between his wing and the wound and drove out to sister's school. The bird stayed in the car the entire time, didn't fly, didn't really do much of anything. We got to the school, did what we needed to do, got the bird some water, then drove home. The moment we got home, we got out of the car and the bird flew away. I guess resting for a few hours gave him enough strength to fly again.

The second time, I found a barn swallow on the ground at the farm where I kept my horse. The lady has 10+ dogs and various cats, so I picked up the bird. He just clung to my finger, and stood there. He tried to fly off a few times, but he never made it high or far. And then I just took the bird back on my finger, and with him standing on my finger, got into my car and drove home. The drive was about 20min and he stood on my finger the entire time. Finally, right when I got home, he collapsed. He died and then I buried him in the forest behind my house. I'd like to think that I gave him a few minutes of safe haven for him to pass in peace.

On a slightly OT note, yet probably just as stupid... I saved a small mouse from barn cats. I couldn't just stand there and watch the cats torture the poor thing, which was completely terrified to the point that she wouldn't move at all. You could poke and prod and she wouldn't move. So I threw a towel ontop of her and kept the cats away. So I took the mouse, wrapped in a towel and took her home...no carrier, no nothing...Just her in a towel... Kept her in a container overnight. It took her a good 5+ hours before she actually started moving around again. Next morning, I drove her off to somewhere safer and dropped her off. she actually just ran out of the container, then stopped and looked at me, before running off again.


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

Yeah, I mean I realize it's the cycle of nature and everything, but I really take pity of all the little critters, especially the ones at the barn surrounded by hungry cats and dogs. I've picked up lots of really little barn swallows and sparrows and dropped them off at a bird rehabilitator too. I've grabbed wounded squirrels, bats... I really can't believe I don't have rabies yet haha


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