No, not MC Hammer.
On my way to work today, I saw a fluttering at the entrance to an alley. As I approached, I saw that it was a bird, a Northern Flicker. I got within 3 feet of it, and it made no attempt to fly or hop away, so I knew it must be hurt. I squatted down, slowly extending my arm towards it while making soft reassuring sounds. Instead of getting scared, it surprised me by hopping towards me and taking cover between my foot and the back of my longcoat. I carefully picked it up, and it still made no attempt to escape, as if it had hoped for me to find it. I brought it home, woke up my girlfriend and showed her; she got up and found a box to put him into along with a baby blanket to keep him warm.
Unfortunately, I had to get to work, so she said that she would let him rest a bit, and then later on set to the task of giving him some water. I called several times throughout the morning, and his condition had not improved. Since I couldn’t do anything at work for him directly, I learned all that I could about Northern Flickers of of the Net. Then, I went to the nearby co-op and picked up some suet designed for woodpeckers. After that, I went and picked a bunch of crabapples off of a tree located downtown (I don’t know if they eat them, but they do eat predominantly vegetarian in fall and winter). I told my co-worker that I felt like an expectant father in the waiting room, that I couldn’t wait to get back home.
In the afternoon though, I suddenly became worried; I didn’t want him to die without seeing him again. So, I told my co-worker that I would be back in a little bit, and hurried home. There he was, in his box, all tucked up, safe and sound. He never opened his eyes while I sat there, stroking his head and back, whispering words of encouragement. But, I had to get back to work, so I tucked him back up, left the suet for him and went back to work.
About 15 minutes later, my girlfriend called me at work; Hammer had died. I am sad, but at least I spared him a death out on the street, in the rain, alone. At least he left this world knowing that he had a friend.
May the wind always carry you on its back Hammer, you will be missed.
blukattt
(I named him Hammer, as their alias is Yellowhammer; do your research and you’ll understand. Also, this is not a pic of him specifically, but the same species.)
