"On a recent Friday morning I walked out of Grand Central Terminal at 45th Street near Madison Avenue and saw a crowd of about a dozen people on the corner, all pointing and looking up. I could not figure out the focus of all that attention. When I got closer, I saw two tiny birds, probably sparrows, near the top of a lamppost. One bird seemed to be caught, hanging upside down because of (it seemed) a tiny tether obstructing its foot. The other bird was frantic, hovering like a mini-helicopter trying to assist.

Suddenly a young man stepped out of the crowd and started scaling the pole. He climbed up to the Don't Walk sign and tested it gingerly to see if it would support his weight. The crowd hushed. We were concerned about the danger and legality of his climb.

Within seconds he was high enough to reach out toward the unfortunate bird. His fingers caught, pulled and broke through whatever was restricting the bird's tiny leg ? and the two birds, now free, took off into the skies above Madison Avenue. The crowd cheered and clapped exultantly. I continued on my way to work with a big smile on my face"