EDITOR’S NOTE: Banner News reporter Mary Rowan found a injured bird near campus on March 29. She wrote the narrative below from the bird’s point of view, naming it Birdie.
Birdie’s View
It is a nice cool spring morning. I am just now leaving my nest for my morning flight to find food. I glide down from my nest headed south to look for a nice worm or something those creatures who walk upright might have thrown some bread of other things out over night.
Wham oh no!!!! I can’t stay in flight my leg and wing hurts. What was that that hit me? I hit the road hard and am still for some time.
Who or what is that standing over me? I must try to escape. Wait, they are saying things to me. I wonder what they said. I flutter and flutter but my wings won’t let me fly away from this danger. Oh no, they have hold of me. She puts me in the grass and says something to me and starts to walk away. I feel alone. Am I going to live? Am I going to fly again?
I wonder how long I been laying here since I saw that strange creature. Oh, I see someone coming again. They are standing over me. I must try to get away. I flutter and flutter away. I am back on the hard road again. She is talking to me, trying to enclose me in some huge box. What is that sound? Oh, I can see light through small holes.
Why am I moving without moving? Where are we going? I hear them speaking again, then we are moving again without me moving.
This creature opens the lid and lays something in the box and covers me. I have been alone for a long time. I hear noises, but no one comes to help. Wait, there is the creature again. She is talking to me again.
Here comes another creature with the creature I know. Let me escape. I take flight. I am flying and gaining altitude. Oh no, something is wrong. My right side is paralyzed and my neck keeps twisting. I drop to the hard ground so fast.
The new creatures picks me up. I must escape. I take flight again. And again I lose the battle to run away from these creatures.
I am moving again without moving. Why does the creature wake me up every so often? I am just resting. I am tired.
The creature hands me over to a new creature yet again. I hope I can fly away soon!!!!!
UPDATE: Birdie is a purple finch and was taken to the wildlife clinic at the Vet Med College at Iowa State University. Mary is keeping in touch with the wildlife hospital. Birdie has been diagnosed with a brain injury and is stable for now. He couldn’t stay in flight because of the injury not a broken leg or wing. One of his symptoms is his neck twisted which prevents him from flying. The Hospital is going to run tests if this does not clear up in a few days.