Today I found a bird that got its head stuck between the gaps of the wooden fence at my home. How did it get there in the first place?...who knows. The bird was still alive, because it periodically flapped its wings and tried in vain to pull its head out. Apparently, it's been stuck there for a while since the fence was scratched up pretty good by its talons.

I didn't feel comfortable handling the bird (especially with my bare hands). I don't have much experience in handling animals. I neither wanted to injure the bird nor get beaked and clawed in retaliation. After trying a couple of ways to free the bird, a grabbed a shovel and lifted the bird's body until its neck was no longer between the fence. Surprisingly, the bird wasn't flailing around furiously as I was lifting.

The bird flew a short distance before landing on the ground. It hopped around awkwardly for a while before laying down. There was no need for further meddling because the bird eventually took off on its own.