FARMINGTON – Sand left by snowplows on a Maple Avenue lawn left meager pickings for one errant rooster Tuesday.

Concern for the rooster’s welfare caused Bette LaMay of Farmington to delay her walk while trying to find someone to rescue the unconcerned bird.

After turning from High Street to upper Maple Avenue shortly after 1 p.m., LaMay came upon the bird heading for the other side of the road and she realized it could be hit by traffic.

After shooing it back to the gravel-covered lawn, LaMay started phoning police and the animal control officer. Police told her the rooster’s owner may be a resident of High Street whose birds were often seen near the road last fall. That home is located close to a quarter-mile from where LaMay found the bird.

Not knowing where the black rooster with greenish-blue twinges of color on the edges of its feathers really belonged, LaMay couldn’t leave it, at least not for a while, she said.

Animal control officer Wayne Atwood returned her call later in the afternoon, she said. He told her that there had been other reports of transient fowls in the High Street/Maple Avenue area. He left a message for the person he believes to be the owner, she said.

After waiting 45 minutes, LaMay had to give up and return to work.

She didn’t want to cause a problem for the owner, she said, but she just didn’t want to see the bird hurt.