There was a little dead bird on the road earlier, obviously
squashed by the wheels of a vehicle. I gave it my best wishes and moved on. A
few yards away there was another one, alive this time and looking very unsure
of itself. It had the markings of a young robin and it was apparent that these
two babies had fledged prematurely. I considered picking up the live one and
taking it home. I wondered whether I could rear it successfully on oats and
bird seed.
But then I remembered hearing that prematurely fledged birds
should be left in situ, since the parents are aware of them and will continue
to feed them. I turned around and saw an adult robin just a few feet away,
apparently watching us. I walked off and saw the adult approach the baby.
Maybe I did the right thing; I hope so. Whether the little
one will escape the attention of predators and the destructive indifference of
traffic, I’ll probably never know. But I hope I did the right thing.
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