About a week ago I spotted a sprightly female chaffinch in our front garden. We get a fair number of chaffinches; they generally dislike feeders, preferring instead to hop along the ground underneath.
My lovely little chaffinch has got a severe handicap: a huge tumour on its leg. At first I thought the small bird had stepped on something sticky, like chewing gum, and was unable to shift it. On closer examination with binoculars, this growth appears to be the size of a small marble and is a whitish colour. It has enveloped the chaffinch's whole right leg.
I watched it this morning; it perches on one leg on our neighbours' Camellia bush for ages, till something disturbs it. The tumour must be sore to put weight on.
I've grown to love wild birds since I became interested half a dozen years ago. I really care about my disabled little chaffinch and pray that it will recover somehow, and survive.
2 comments :
My Father a few years ago (and across a year) trained our garden Robin to land on our hands and take some food and even be stroked. Its total anthropomorphism but its hard not to give them identities and feel love for them. However, I think thats what makes you a good person, caring for something and 'feeling' its pain. Bravo M'Laud. Roger
Aren't robins wonderful little birds?
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