Birds of a Feather

Christine Panek, a hospital worker who lives in Kennebunk, Me., was driving home a few weeks ago, when she saw an injured robin in the middle of the road. She took it home, nursed it to health, then hatched a plan to reunite her patient with its migrated friends.

Panek dialed Delta Airlines and asked officials if one of their big birds could wing the little fellow south. The airline, which advertises itself as "ready when you are," readied a small shipping box for the robin. The boxed bird caught a flight from Portland to Fort Myers, Fla., riding in the cockpit with the pilot. Once in Florida, the robin was greeted by members of the Fort Myers Nature Center, who made sure that it was healthy enough to be set free. "We've done this before," shrugs Delta Spokesman Bill Berry. "Once it was a pelican with a sore neck. He had to keep his head out of the box, and every time the flight attendant passed, he tried to pinch her."

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