Thursday, April 30, 2009

I love cycling. Even more, I love cycling with a bunch of guys who are better than I am. Makes me work harder. The other day, I was grinding it out in the pace line when I saw something flapping in the middle of the road. I realized it was a large crow who had probably been hit by a car. In a split second, I made the decision to pull out of the roaring line of cyclists to check on the bird.

I'm so glad I stopped. The bird had hobbled its way onto an embankment to steer clear of traffic. I stood there on my bike wondering "What the heck am I going to do now?" I rode my bike to the nearest shopping plaza where I asked a postal worker to give me a box. I then rode back to the bird with the box only to realize there was no way I could fit him in there. He was a big boy!

I quickly rode to my car & called the Wildlife Care Center in Ft. Lauderdale. Since it was early on a Sunday morning, I got their machine. Dead end. With nothing to lose, I called Palm Beach Animal Care & Control. Bingo! Their dispatcher told me an officer would come but it would take a while to find me. No problem.

While waiting, I saw the crow's friends circle around squawking at him wondering why he wasn't flying with them. It was heart wrenching to see that camaraderie. 40 minutes passed and the truck arrived. I directed the officer to the bird.

The officer was great. She put her gloves on & picked the crow up to put him in a carrier. He was so peaceful at this point. It was almost as if he knew help had arrived. She told me he would go to a sanctuary about an hour north to see if he could be rehabbed. I was so pleased. No matter what happened to him at that point, he was in better shape than when I had found him.

I may have not raced with the boys that morning but I felt like the true winner!