A small finch with brownish plumage and white markings on its chest perched near a rusted metal bowl in a snowy outdoor setting, illuminated by natural daylight. 1:36
Nelson Wilson channel icon Nelson WilsonOriginal creator 3.8M views Save

Finch stuck to an icy fence gets a helping hand

Half a cup of coffee into New Year's Day, Nelson Wilson walks out to check on his horses and sees a finch sitting on the steel fence by the trough. The bird isn't going anywhere. more

He almost walks on by. Then he thinks better of it and goes over for a closer look. Both of the bird's tiny feet are frozen solid to the steel bar.

A small finch with brownish plumage and white markings on its chest perched near a rusted metal bowl in a snowy outdoor setting, illuminated by natural daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Half a cup of coffee into New Year's Day, Nelson Wilson walks out to check on his horses and sees a finch sitting on the steel fence by the trough.

Wilson stops to think about how to get the finch loose. He's worried about the cold, too, since he has no idea how long the bird has been stuck out there.

His answer is his own warm breath. He breathes on the frozen feet until they come free, and then the finch is in his hand, a small brown bird with white marks on the chest, mostly hidden behind his fingers.

A hand holds a small brown bird with dark eyes and a dark beak, most of the bird hidden behind the fingers. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Both feet are free, and the finch stays put in Wilson's hand.

He does all of this with one hand, because the other is holding the phone, and the picture stays steady. For a while the finch sits cupped in his palm.

Soon the finch is standing on his hand instead, sharp little claws gripping his bare skin the way they would grip a branch. The bird hangs on there a little longer.

Close-up of a small bird's foot, its sharp claws gripping the skin of a human hand. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
The finch stands on Wilson's hand, claws gripping his skin, and doesn't leave yet.

Then the finch takes off, chirping the whole way out, and a lot of people hear a thank you in that chirp. Half a cup of coffee, one small bird, and the year is off to a good start.

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