The other day, Sabine Hoppner was taking a stroll near her home in Los Angeles when she stumbled upon an unusual sight: a tiny hummingbird in the street, seemingly attempting to lift a disproportionately large stick.
Observing the bird’s efforts to take flight with the hefty burden, Hoppner couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the scene.
“I noticed him flying erratically and dangerously close to the bustling traffic,” Hoppner shared. “Initially, I thought he was determined to carry the stick away, but as I observed him further, it became evident that he was struggling and growing weary. Despite his valiant attempts to take flight, he repeatedly faltered and descended from the air.”
As Hoppner examined the situation more closely, she uncovered the source of the little hummingbird’s perplexing predicament.
As it turned out, the tiny bird wasn’t actually grasping the stick; rather, its beak had become ensnared in it, piercing right through.
Moved by compassion, Hoppner resolved to lend a helping hand.
“I caught him by throwing my shirt over him right there on the street,” she recounted. “Surprisingly, he remained calm and allowed me to handle him without any resistance.”
It remains a mystery how the hummingbird found itself in such a peculiar predicament, but for Hoppner, the solution was straightforward. With gentle care, she delicately freed the bird’s beak from the stick, potentially saving a life that might have otherwise been lost had its plight gone unnoticed.
“I have no idea how he got into such a strange predicament,” Hoppner remarked. “[Afterward], he zoomed off at full speed.”