Nuthatch Rescue

A Poem

This incident happened during the past weekend while weedwhacking under an oak and trimming low-hanging branches. I was so concerned about the bird’s condition and safety, I didn’t think of taking a photo. Photo Credit: Terry Brooks / dreamtime.com

It was so tiny
you could almost mistake it
for a large insect
or miss it completely

But a closer look revealed
a juvenile nuthatch
hunkered in the grass
at edge of the woods
as if frozen or injured

Had it fallen
from an unseen nest
or failed its first solo flight
and crash-landed?

Picking it up gingerly
in gloved hands
the tiny bird appeared
fit to fly and did so
in a hectic flight
along the ground
after I put it down

Concerned about predators
especially omnipresent hawks
circling overhead
I moved the nuthatch
to my wife’s garden
closer to the woods

After placing it
on a sturdy plant higher up
the tiny bird flew down
to an adjacent stump
and squatted placidly
without moving

As I left to resume my work
I looked back at the bird
but it had disappeared

Perhaps it found its wings
and soared skyward
to a refuge in the trees.