It was shortly after midnight last night.  I am the night manager at a truck stop.  One of our airport shuttle drivers who is in every night to fuel came to tell me that we had a problem. 

During the preceeding shift our maintenance manager had used some sort of sealant between cracks in the conctrete around the RV fuel island, and a little house sparrow had gotten his feet stuck in it. Because his species is so small he had not the strength to get free.

I do animal rescue, officially reptiles, but in reality I will help anything.  I went out and used the blade from my ox cutter to het him free, but i had to cut the tips off feathers on one wing and on his tail and there was still a huge blob stuck to one foot encasing it.  I took him in and set him up in a small box behind hte fuel desk with the bottom cut out of a cup for water he could reach, i gave him some deli turkey for lack of anything more nutritious to offer at the time.  I spent my lunch break slwly helping him get bits of the sealant off his foot, then I brought him homethis morning.

I know what most of you might be thinking, a house sparrow invasive harms other species...well so what it isn't his fault what he hatched as, and survival of the fittest says hey why don't the others adapt and defend thier nests better? Robins sure do.  Anyway.

I am calling him Captain Jack of course, and slowly removing more and more of the stupis stuff from his foot. As soon as he can get around on his feet right and get his feathers back to fly safely I will return him to the lot since my research today indicates that they mate for life, and he is mature he probably has a wife out there.  It also indicates that they care for the young together if they have eggs or babies she wil want his help I am sure.  At the moment he is doing very well he bites sometimes but not hard nad overall is just fine with me he seems to know that I am only helping.  I have him in a nice bird cage till he can go home, it is the ponly reason I own a bird cage so I can help injured birds.

Happy Earth Day Captain Jack the Sparrow

Love your temporary mommy