Flashes of Panic

We were doing the walking loop of my errands this afternoon when we spotted a few people apparently sitting on the sidewalk on South Pleasant Street, near the new restaurant in the space which used to be Il Pirata (which used to be a bank, and the vault is still there.)

As we walked around them, I noticed a grey heap of feathers and fuzz on the sidewalk between them. It flopped. Bird? Tame bird? One of the three people got up and moved on, looking sad. Another hurried off purposefully.

I happened to have my camera with me. (Good habit, which I’m working on developing.) I got it out and looked more purposefully at the bird. At first, I thought he’d been hurt, but on closer inspection it was clear that he was simply too young to fly. The remaining man said, “My girlfriend went to get a box for him. We think he fell out of his nest, or something.” I looked up and spotted a pigeon looking over the rooftop. I imagined some twigs and grass poking out. I pointed. “Up there, I’d bet.”

Then I took a few pictures. Hey, when a kid takes his first steps outside the nest, someone should take pictures.