Day 185-188 There’s A Bird In My Bike Helmet!

Sep 18 • Blog, Hokkaido • 2839 Views • 4 Comments

Scallop Man’s wife in Oumu, Hokkaido made a big breakfast for me. She taught me that they call salmon, Akiaji, around this region, which means the autumn flavor. Also in season and on the table was a grilled Pacific saury. The milk in the cups were brought there the night before by their friend who have a milk farm. She thought I should taste their delicious cow milk, straight from their farm. That was the most delicious milk I’d ever had. My heart as well as my stomach was full with their kindness and love.

While cycling in Hokkaido, I see so many cows. Hey, chillin’ cow, your milk was the best ever!

The kind host made me lunch to take with me too. Oh, have I received so many homemade onigiri (rice ball) during this trip! It’s the best lunch ever.

After lunch, as I was just pedaling on, I had a glimpse of an unusual sight on the pavement to the left of my tire. It was a flash of a little bird with the most surprising expression on its face.

What the…?

On the big street just before a little town called, Okoppe, where trucks come by at high speed, I stopped and put my bike onto the guard rail. I walked back to where I saw the bird, and there it was. A little green bird had its eyes abnormally wide open. Without a sound, it had its beaks open too, as if it was screaming, “WAHHH!”

I wasn’t sure if it was hurt, but it looked at me with the most painful look. With my forefinger, I petted its head very lightly. It didn’t refuse, nor was it going anywhere. “If I leave this bird here, it’s a matter of time until a truck crushes this little thing…” Carefully I picked up the bird, and put it on my hand. It held onto my finger very tightly and wouldn’t even try to leave.

I had a little wild bird in my hand on a road in Hokkaido. “What should I do…?”

I put a small towel in my bike helmet, and gently put the little bird inside. I hung the helmet on my handlebar and cycled into the town of Okoppe. I went to the office of JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives) and asked if there was a vet near there. They said there were some that took care of cows and pigs, but that they wouldn’t have time for a little wild bird. Right…

It’s best to leave wild life as it is, I know. But, after having seen that face, I couldn’t have thrown it into some grass there. Besides, there was a good chance it had been hit by a car of us humans, constantly invading their space. For many years when I was growing up, I had a little white bird with a cataract. There was just no way I was going to leave the little bird alone.

They told me there was a pet veterinarian in Monbetsu City, which was about 20km ahead. I wore my small messenger bag and secured the helmet with it in front of me. With the upside down helmet with a little bird between me and my handlebar, I started cycling to the next city. With that unusual look, I’m sure I left the passing drivers puzzled. At about 20km per hour, wind and bumps were inevitable. I was worried and periodically looked down inside my helmet.

After 10 minutes or so, the expression of the bird was getting better. Its beaks were no longer open, and its eyes were becoming normal. A little while after that, it came out and stood on the front side of the helmet, facing forward like I was!

“I can’t believe this. A wild little bird is cycling with me!”

With the wind coming at us, the little bird and I were heading to Monbetsu together on my pink bike. Just at that moment, the bird flew off my helmet, toward a tree across from the road. Oh, thank goodness! It wasn’t hurt badly!

Maybe it had left its nest just some moments ago and wasn’t used to flying. Maybe the wind and the forward motion on my bike reminded the bird how to fly. I kept imagining those things and was thoroughly relieved that it was able to fly again. Much like a mother kangaroo with its baby in the front pocket, I cycled with a little bird on my bike. It was the most unusual and unreal hour of cycling.

In Monbetsu, I found the biggest crab claw, without the little bird in my helmet. So, so glad it flew!

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