Every day, millions of birds probably die around the world. They die from natural causes, old age, accidents, shootings, and become meals for other birds and animals. Then why worry about one single bird, and a Common Grackle to boot? It’s not like it was some endangered species or special bird that we get excited about when we see one.
We have a bird feeder, Hummingbird feeder, and birdbath in our back yard. They are close to our house where we can observe them from the windows in our four-season room and from the deck. I guess you could call them our pets. Birds are easy to take care of. As long as they have food and water they’re happy. We don’t need to potty train them, although I do wish they wouldn’t deposit stuff all over our deck. They could be a little more courteous to us since we feed them. Other than Chickadees in the winter, none of the other birds have been friendly enough to land on my hand and take the birdseed from it.
This spring many species of birds arrived and must have decided this was a great place to spend the summer. There was plenty of food and a great place to take a bath and get a drink each day. What more could a bird want, except a place of shelter to call home. They have that in the grove of trees and brush next to our house. The Grackles tend to hog the feeders and water, but the Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Red-Wing Blackbirds, Cowbirds, various Sparrows, and assorted other birds have held their own.
One morning last week, Linda called me at the office to say there was a bird caught in the supports under the birdbath. It kept struggling and couldn’t get free. At noon I went home to check it out. There was a Grackle hanging upside down with a leg caught between the supports. I got some gloves and a towel to throw over it to keep it from struggling when I tried to free it. Once I held the bird I saw that the leg caught in the support was broken. I freed the leg and set it down on the ground. It flopped into the grass under the deck and tried to hide there.
I realized it was badly hurt and didn’t stand a chance of survival with a broken leg. I decided the humane thing to do was kill it. I went and found an old tobacco axe in the garage. I picked the bird up and carried it toward the trees where I intended to decapitate it. Death would come quickly and put the poor bird out of its misery. As I carried it, the bird was looking at me with what seemed like the saddest, pleading eyes. When I reached the weeds by the trees, I just couldn’t bring the axe down and take its life. Good lord, it’s just a bird, I thought. They die every day. I poised the axe in the air again. Those sad eyes kept looking at me. Make it swift and painless, just like I used to kill chickens when I was young. There was one big difference. We killed them to eat.
I hesitated and finally put the axe down. I couldn’t kill this injured bird. The old medic in me came to the surface. I decided to splint the leg and at least give it a slim chance for survival. I went in the garage, got some duct tape and small slivers of wood. Holding the bird down under the towel, I lined up the bones in the slender leg and secured the wood splint to the leg by winding duct tape around it. When all else fails find some duct tape or WD-40 and you can fix most anything. With the operation completed, I returned the bird to the weeds by the trees and released it. It crawled off into the tall grass. With the rescue mission accomplished, I went back to work.
Will the bird survive? I rather doubt it. The cards of life are stacked against it. It would probably have been more humane to quickly kill it, but the killer instinct became buried deep within me many years ago. A long ago war sickened me on killing anything again. Animals and birds have as much right to life as we humans do.
All that said, don’t expect me to sit passively if an animal or human attacks me or someone else. Many years in the martial arts have taught me that you never strike first. You strike only in self-defense and use lethal force only if a life is in danger. This poor bird posed no danger to me and needed help.
I’ve searched the area since that time and haven’t found any trace of the bird. I did see a stray tomcat searching along the tree line the day after I released it. Perhaps he found an easy meal. Such is nature and survival of the fittest. I’m hoping the bird found a sheltered place and is still surviving, although that’s probably wishful thinking. I haven’t seen any bird limping around with duct tape on its leg and little bird crutches under its wings. If you see a bird limping around with a duct-taped leg, give me a call. That would make my day.
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