A finch whose feet were frozen to a metal fence is the star of a heartwarming video, thanks to an Idaho man who rescued it.
Nelson Wilson of Caldwell was feeding horses on New Year’s Day when he saw the finch stuck to a steel fence near a heated water tank.
“It is not uncommon for birds to drink from the heated tank,” Wilson wrote on his YouTube post. “Apparently this unfortunate bird had gotten its feet wet and, while making its exit, had become frozen to the fence in the prevailing near zero Idaho temperatures.”
At first, Wilson tried to free the frightened finch by pressing his palm against the cold fence rail and the bird’s feet, while gently restraining the bird’s flapping wings.
“It then seemed that warming the bird’s feet with my warm breath would bring quicker success,” he wrote.
In just a few seconds of breathing on the bird’s feet and a gentle sideways motion from his thumb, the bird was free and Wilson was happy to have helped.
“A delightful way to start a New Year,” he said.
CORRECTION: This article initially misstated Nelson Wilson’s last name as “Miller.” The bird was also misidentified as a sparrow.
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