Clinton Neighbors Help Rescue Baby Bird Via Uber Ride

CLINTON, Utah — A baby bird that fell from a tree this week survived, thanks in part to the unlikeliest of rescue ambulances — a rideshare.

Tim Crowley said he and his friends were enjoying drinks in a back yard Saturday evening when they heard an unsettling thump nearby.

“Looked over and there was a little baby bird chirping away because he fell out or got pushed out of the nest,” Crowley said.

They believed the Lesser Goldfinch needed immediate care in order to survive, but they weren’t in a position to drive.

“We were just like—‘hey, let’s call an Uber and we’ll get it there,’” Crowley said.

Crowley said one driver refused over the phone to transport the bird, but a second driver arrived at the house and agreed to participate in the rescue.

At the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah in Ogden, workers couldn’t believe it when the Uber driver arrived.

“I got a picture from a wildlife specialist saying, ‘so this little guy just came in an Uber,” smiled a wide-eyed Buz Marthaler, WRCNU’s chairman of the board of directors. “The first thing I thought of was more pictures! We’re posting this! To me, it was just like, ‘boof!’”

Marthaler said the wildlife specialists didn’t observe injuries and they believe the bird will be able to be released back into the wild in about a month.

“This little guy is here because someone thought outside the box!” Marthaler said.

Crowley said he was glad to learn the bird, which is now being called Petey-Uber, was going to be okay.

“I think now you can see the videos and it’s just like, ‘chirp, chirp, chirp,’ so that’s kind of cool to see,” Crowley said. “It’s awesome.”