An Alert on the Rocks
A black seabird stumbled along the rocky shoreline with a heavy glass jar wedged completely over its head. The golden retriever stood nearby on the wet stones, shifting his weight between his paws as he watched the bird struggle against the surf.
He barked sharply toward the open beach, turned around, and bolted across the sand toward the tall boulders behind him. Further up the rocky point, a photographer knelt with his camera pressed to his eye, framing shots of the ocean.
The dog reached him in seconds, planting his front paws firmly against the man’s chest and whining with urgent, repeated yelps. The man lowered the heavy telephoto lens and looked down at his companion, who immediately spun around, trotted backward a few steps, and nudged the man’s pant leg to lead the way.
Delicate Work with the Multi-Tool
They scrambled across the slippery tide pools until they reached the shallow inlet where the cormorant was thrashing in the water. The man set his camera down on a flat boulder and knelt beside the pool.
He unrolled a gray towel across his knees and reached into the shallow water, gently draping the cloth over the bird’s flapping wings. The dark feathers settled under the fabric as the man drew the bird closer to his chest to keep it secure on the rocks.
The bird’s beak was jammed deep inside the cylindrical glass jar, leaving barely enough room for it to breathe. Pulling a folding multi-tool from his pocket, the photographer positioned the metal jaws against the rim of the glass.
He pressed firmly, applying measured pressure against the thick edge until a fine fracture line spiderwebbed across the surface. He carefully picked away the loosened glass shards one piece at a time, placing each fragment onto the dark volcanic rock away from the animal’s feet.
Taking Flight Over the Waves
The dog sat upright on the higher ledge just a few feet away, keeping his eyes locked onto the bird’s head as the glass came away. Only the thick collar ring of the jar remained around the bird’s slender neck.
The man gripped the remaining glass band with the pliers, snapped the ring in two, and pulled the last curved piece free. The bird stretched its neck upward and opened its yellow-hooked bill wide, drawing in long breaths of salty air.
The man ran his fingers lightly down the dark throat feathers, checking a small red scrape where the rim had pressed against the skin. He gathered the towel from around its wings and gently supported the bird under its chest as he set its webbed feet onto the wet rock near the water’s edge.
The cormorant paused on the black stones before plunging into the gentle surf. It paddled quickly through the clear tide pool, submerged its chest, and shook the water droplets from its back before lifting into the air.
An Unexpected Return to the Shore
With a series of rapid wingbeats against the surface, the bird climbed steadily over the white crests of the incoming waves. The photographer stood up beside his dog, watching the dark silhouette circle higher above the shoreline.
The bird flew in a wide arc over the water, then banked sharply and headed directly back toward the rocky ledge where the two stood. As it drew closer, a heavy, metallic glint caught the sunlight between its long beak.
The cormorant touched down on the dark basalt rock right in front of the golden retriever’s paws. It lowered its head, tilted its beak forward, and dropped a heavy, circular gold coin onto the stone surface.
The dog leaned down with his nose, sniffing the edges of the shiny coin as the photographer crouched beside him. With a quick spread of its wide dark wings, the bird launched itself back into the coastal breeze, soaring away over the open sea.
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