The one where Tik trys, and fails, to rescue a baby bird

This morning, while I was stumbling down the road on the way to work - I stumble now not walk, due to the running - I turned the corner to walk past the church steps and was dive bombed by a little finch.

Finches are my least favourite birds, apart from those big scary looking ones that hang out at parks and look like they'd take your eye out if you had a crumb on bread in your hand you weren't willing to give up. And emu's, I hate Emu's more than anything. They don't like me either, just ask Workaholic Hostess.

Anyway, I don't like Finches, and I hadn't had a cup of coffee, so I was in no mood to be dive bombed. Then I heard 'chirp, chirp' and looked down and saw a tiny little, baby finch on the ground all shaking and heart beating out of his chest.

Now I know you're not supposed to pick them up or their parents won't accept them back into the nest, but this little bird had a particularly aggressive extended family going on so there was no chance of an intervention anyway. There were about 4 different adult finches flying around, hysterical and dive bombing everyone. Then the mum flies up and starts feeding the baby, who momentarily is OK while she is there but then flips out again when she takes off.

I'm looking around for the nest, and at the same time warning pedestrian's they're about to be dive bombed, and setting up a perimeter (I can make anything dramatic, especially a rescue). I tried to get one girl to help me, but she was having none of it. She stood there for a second and then, looking a bit guilty she said, "I'm going to leave it in your capable hands". Poor thing, she'd been dive bombed twice.

I didn't know what to do, so after another 10 minutes or so, I decided that with all the protection - 4 adult finches, there was no way I'd be able to pick the baby up without a reinactment of a Hitchcock scene taking place. My theory was, by the time the adults had tired themselves out, some kind soul would help the baby without being attacked. That, or a cat would eat it. But I was hoping the former...

So conflicted, and with a heavy heart, I stumbled on down the street and was dive bombed twice more for my efforts. Then of course, I had missed my train..

But it made me think about the bond families have, especially mothers to children. They would literally do anything for us. And when faced with one of their kids in danger, they'll go to extraordinary lengths to protect us.

And as teenagers we have most likely told them at one point or another that we hate them. Go figure.