A couple of weeks ago, I came upon a bird along our usual walking/jogging route in our village. Here are a few photos and the story about this juvenile I came across.
 |
At first, I thought it was just another bird in the middle of the road that will fly away upon my approach.
|
 |
As I drew closer, I recognized the bird by its plumes and beak as a kingfisher. There are many of them in our area due to the trees and the rivers and streams nearby.
|
 |
It was just jumping or hopping while it made a sound (not chirping) as if calling for help.
|
 |
When I approached it and it didn't make any effort to fly away, I realized it must have fallen, probably attempting its first flight from a nearby tree. I also became aware of what probably was its mother, flying around and also somewhat calling to it.
|
 |
Close-up of the juvenile kingfisher
|
I decided to go back and capture the bird. I couldn't bear the thought of a cat or dog pouncing upon it and killing it. I took it home, taking care that it won't be injured or harmed. There, we checked the bird to see if it had any injuries (it didn't). The bird was able to spread its wings inside the temporary cage we made for it, and it was clear to us that it was still at that awkward stage of its life when it was testing its strength and learning to fly. It was released the same day when it appeared to have recovered (we thought it probably was shocked when it failed its first test flight).
One wonders if these birds remember such experiences and whether they note if people were kind to them. Dogs remember and perhaps its among the things that endear them to us. With the inclement weather and heavy rains the past days, I hope they were able to take shelter. These birds though are not strangers to water as they 'fish' and even dive (as we witnessed in Caliraya earlier this year) for food.
-
No comments:
Post a Comment