Trapped Beneath the Heavy Black Fabric
The tiny turkey poult beat its wings against the wet ground, pinned flat beneath the edge of a heavy black geotextile mat.
Each flap of its small feathered wings kicked up muddy water, but the dense netting held its tiny frame pressed against the bank.
A few yards up the slick slope, an adult wild turkey stood tall, neck extended, watching the struggling chick while four other small poults clustered behind her legs.
The mother shifted her weight on the wet clay, tilting her head from side to side as soft chirps echoed along the waterline.
Heavy boots sloshed through the puddles as a worker in dark green waterproof waders and rubber gloves stepped into frame, lowering himself onto one knee directly beside the trapped chick.
A Slow and Gentle Disentanglement
“Easy, easy, baby,” the man murmured as he reached both gloved hands toward the black fabric.
The little bird stopped thrashing for a brief second, its head resting against the rough mesh while its dark eyes followed the rescuer’s fingers.
The worker did not pull on the chick. Instead, he gripped the stiff edge of the thick netting with his right hand and curled his left fingers under the fabric to find where the chick’s feet were pinned.
The mesh was thick, stiff, and weighed down along the embankment, holding the baby’s fragile legs tight against the damp earth.
With careful, slow pressure, the man levered the material upward, inch by inch, relieving the weight pressing down on the chick’s back.
He slid his left index finger underneath the small bird’s belly, gently guiding its spindly legs free from the tangled underside of the netting.
Releasing the Little Poult
The chick squirmed as its legs slipped out from the trap, its wings suddenly spreading wide against the open air.
The worker cupped both hands under the poult’s soft brown-and-tan body, lifting it cleanly off the wet bank to inspect its legs.
He set the baby bird gently down onto its feet in the shallow muddy puddle right beside the black liner.
For a second, the chick stood completely still, shaking droplets of rain from its downy feathers and testing its balance on the slick ground.
It turned its head toward the embankment, looking up at the towering adult turkey and the small line of siblings waiting patiently in the distance.
Rejoining the Flock
A high-pitched chirp broke from the little bird’s beak as it sprang forward into a fast, rhythmic sprint.
Its tiny pink legs churned through the shallow water, splashing mud with every stride as it darted straight down the shoreline toward its family.
The mother turkey gave a low call, turning her body and leading her line of chicks forward along the rim of the embankment.
The little poult fell into step right behind its siblings, its tail bobbing up and down as the entire flock walked away together past the parked truck in the distance.
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