Earlier today I was in our garden clearing up some fallen twigs and leaves when I spotted a distressed sparrow hanging upside down in one of our trees. On closer inspection it became apparent that one of its “toes” (I’m not sure that birds have toes but I think you’ll know what I mean) had become tightly fixed onto a very small but strong branch by some fine white tape which the sparrow must have been collecting as nesting material. I guess that after the sparrow was initially trapped it managed to twist the tape tighter and tighter around its “toe” as it struggled to get free. I called my wife over and while she supported the bird with a dust-pan I tried to free the bird by removing the tape but our initial efforts were unsuccessful, partly because the tape was so tightly wound but also because one of our next door neighbour’s cats had also spotted the sparrow and was determined to make it a bite of lunch… In the end we had to call out our eldest daughter to remove the cat and once this was done we were able to concentrate fully on the rescue. With one neat snip of my pen-knife scissors the tape was cut and the sparrow immediately flew away, taking refuge in a nearby tree. At first we thought it might have suffered permanent damage because it sat there fluttering about whilst all its friends twittered wildly, but after a few more moments it flew off again and from the last we saw of it, it seemed fine. It is amazing how much saving a life like this, albeit the life of just a little bird, leaves you feeling like you have done something really worthwhile.
Tim O'Hare 