It was an exciting day at the community garden! The seeds we planted just five days ago were already sprouting up! It was kind of extraordinary to witness. Those tiny little seeds had already transformed and risen from the earth! It is really interesting to contemplate how the potential life that is contained in a seed bursts into actuality when the conditions are right. I wonder how seeds stay alive, and how long they may actually survive to germinate if they do not have the right conditions right away.
The food grown at the garden is donated to a local food pantry. I purchased lead-free hoses for the garden to be sure we were not poisoning the clients who will eat the foods we are growing.
I hooked up the new hoses and filled our rain barrel with water from the school. Then I watered the newly planted beds and some of the beds that still had plants from last year.
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On my way back from picking up the hoses I saw a robin on the pavement in the turn lane in the middle of a busy four-lane road. I wasn't sure if he was alive, but it looked like he was standing. I turned around immediately, parked my car, and rushed back to the road where the robin was. I waited as a couple cars rushed by and then went over to him.
He was alive! and not bloody, but he did not look right. I imagined he had collided with a car. I started to move toward him to pick him up and move him out of the road, and was surprised when he flew up and away from me, thankfully toward the park and away from the traffic.
He landed in the turning lane of the exit for the park's parking lot. I stood there for a moment, studying his movements to try to understand his condition. A car started moving toward us to exit the parking lot and I motioned about the bird. The car went by us.
A moment later a van pulled up and a mother and her young daughter rushed out to me and the bird. She told me she was so glad that I had stopped and that they had seen the bird ten minutes before, but had to get to an appointment.
It had been there at least ten minutes.
So many had passed by the bird and not stopped.
An appointment is more important than a life?
The robin took flight again, heading slightly further into the park and closer to where other robins were searching for worms. I told the lady I was going to call the local wildlife animal rehabilitation center to see what they recommended. She thanked me for stopping and I thanked her as well. They left.
I called the center and explained what I had observed. The lady at the center told me I could bring the robin in to have it checked out, that it might have a "little birdy concussion."
After hanging up, I walked over to my car, took a reusable shopping bag from my trunk, and walked over to the robin, preparing to bundle him in the bag if he was in need of rehabilitation.
He wasn't moving much, just standing in one place. When I tried to move toward him he would hop away from me. For a while I just sat, observing him. He wasn't looking for worms like the other robins. I did a little digging to see if I could find a worm for him, but without success. When I would move toward him he would move away, and then after a moment his eyes would start to close. If I moved again his eyes would open up again and he would move a little further away, and then his eyes would start to close again.
I saw another robin find a worm and moved quickly toward her. She dropped the worm and I tossed it over to the robin I was observing. He didn't show any interest, but instead moved away from me. I tried several times to give the worm to him, but with no success.
I was feeling bad about stealing the worm from the robin who had found it, and also for the worm who was bleeding and being tossed about, (not to mention I had extended the length of the worm's suffering by stealing him from the robin who would have quickly eaten him).
The robin wouldn't take the worm. My intent was to win his approval and nourish him by feeding him the worm, but instead I found myself being more intimidating to him--"chasing" him with the worm. Shortly after this "chase" however I saw him looking for his own worm--that was reassuring.
Over a period of about an hour, I had seen the robin go from paralyzed on the pavement, in the middle of four lanes of traffic, to taking flight, hoping away, and searching for worms. Part of me wondered if I should take him to the wildlife rehab center, to be checked out and observed, but I didn't want to put him through more stress, especially if it was unnecessary stress. He didn't seem to want to be captured and seemed to be recovering quickly. I said a prayer and left him there to stay wild and recover naturally. I started walking back to my car, turning back a couple times, wondering if I was making the right decision. I feel that I did. I hope he is doing well.
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