For the birds? (written especially for Dusti)

There's something I've been meaning to write about all week, and here's my first opportunity. This past Monday, I was working in Hot Springs, so I was able to conveniently come home for lunch and a dip in the creek. While walking up to the house, I noticed a small fledgling bird with a crooked wing, hopping and fluttering about. The bird was black and white and very beautiful. In an instant my mind was made up to catch it so that I could look at it better, and I knew that if I caught it I would end up trying to help its broken wing. Sally (who was over for the day) and I spent about 10 minutes chasing it and finally I gently caught it. It struggled against captivity for a moment, but once my hand was enclosing its entire body, it calmed into surrender. I took it into the house, put it in a box with breathing holes, covered the box with a towel and put it in a quiet corner. I figured the bird was probably something common and looked up a few things in the bird book. I settled on it being a song sparrow, even though it was clearly black and white and the bird in the book was more brown. I ground up some seeds and put them in the box along with a very shallow lid of water.
The next morning I got up and thought to myself: Self, are you going to let that bird go or take it to someone who does songbird rehab? I was feeling about 50/50 on the matter. Should I intervene or not? Is it my place to butt into that bird's life (or pending death) to try to change the course of things? There is something in me that really wants to take care of hurt birds, even more so than hurt wild mammals. But really- is it a mockery of nature to drive this bird all the way to Asheville and drop it off in an artificially lit, climate controlled environment, where all manners of vet techs are going to talk baby talk to it all day? ( Side note- the North Asheville Animal Hospital has trained staff who are certified in song bird rehab. I am not (yet) trained.)
Another note about this case is that I am living in a house that has a GIANT sized window upstairs right at the level for a lot of birds to be deceived and fly into. The window is probably at least 8 ft by 5 ft, and I have found numerous dead birds beneath it over the past year- 2 hummingbirds, 2 pine siskins, and one bird I cannot remember at this time. This fact makes me feel responsible for bird deaths or injuries occuring at the sight of the window. (Don't worry, readers, I am looking into the option of a hawk silouette decal to stick on the window to deter smaller birds from flying into it.)
So I was at 50/50 to let the bird go or take it to the vet, and the wind blew and I got tipped to 49/51 and decided to take it in. I dropped the traumatized little feathered one off on the way to work to a friendly receptionist who asked me to sign a waiver that they might need to euthanize it if the condition was not treatable. After delivering the bird to the back room, she informed me that it was a black and white warbler. Well, that explained the black and white color...



After work, I swung by to check on the little dude's (or gal's) status, and the woman took off her glasses to properly look me square in the eye and said gently, "I'm so sorry. The bird died an hour ago." I asked if it had been euthanized, and she said no. She repeated, "I'm sorry." I laughed nervously and told her it was really OK- it happens.
All in all, I am glad I made the decisions I did to intervene and take the bird to the vet. I learned to properly identify a black and white warbler, and I think the hands on will make me remember that. I also think it is natural to want to nurture life, even if it is not your own species. I mean, who among us has not been forwarded the heartwarming photos of the lion (or whatever large cat it was) nursing the piglets?
But I do want to hear what the readers think about the ethics of wild animal rehab. Is it a joke? Is it a projection of human maternal instincts? Is a pompous expression of human feelings of superiority? Is it natural, noble, or just for the birds?