Gary and Morris’ Baby Bird Spring Rescue

Spring had finally arrived at the Hervey Foundation for Cats, and the beautiful prairie skies were sunny and warm, like a nice, comforting hug.

The ground had almost completely dried up until the night before when a big spring rainstorm moved in. It had rained for more than 24 hours straight, which cleared up the roads and front lawns but soaked the ground around them once again.

Save for a few bathroom breaks, and a meal or two, Gary and Morris started watching the storm from the moment it began raining, and they were still at the window staring out into the grey abyss.

“What a storm,” said Morris.

“You got that right,” said Gary. “All I want to do is go outside.”

Morris let out a low growl to show he felt the same discontent.

“I am so sick of watching water trickle down this window,” he said.

“Why don’t we go see what the other cats are up to?” suggested Gary. “We’ve been here all day and night.”

The two cats jumped down onto the floor and looked around the living room to see what was going on. A few of the older cats were napping, but the rest were somewhere else.

“Where could they be?” asked Gary.

“Strange…” Morris replied.

They walked into the kitchen to grab a few kibbles.

Just then, Nermal, one of the cats living at the shelter, walked in to have a drink.

“Nermal!” Gary shouted.

“Hey fellas!” she replied. “What a storm!”

“You’re telling us,” Morris replied. “Where is everybody?”

Nermal gestured towards the entrance/exit for the cat runs (screened-in areas where the cats can safely spend time outside without leaving the property).

“Of course!” said Morris. “Thanks, Nermal. We were getting bored of watching the storm and wanted to see what everyone else was up to.”

“Well, you won’t be doing much else with them,” Nermal replied. “We’re all watching it from the door!”

Gary and Morris walked over to the door for the cat runs and practically all the younger cats were sitting there watching the lightning, thunder, and the endless rain!

Since the cat runs are screened in, water had seeped through and soaked the ground below them. None of the cats wanted to go out there, but their curiosity for the weather had them all perched around the opening.

“Gary! Morris!” came a voice from another cat.

“Wendall!” replied Gary.

Wendall was one of the cats that Gary and Morris got along best with. They had similar personalities, ages, and builds – except he had VERY long hair.

“Big storm, eh?” Wendall said with a grin on his face.

“It’s pretty exciting!” Gary replied. “We’ve just spent so much time watching it we’re starting to get bored.

“Yeah, I am in the same boat as you two,” said Wendell. “What are you guys up to?”

“We were just coming to see what you and everyone else were up to,” Morris replied.

“It’s stopping!” came a voice from the cats crowded around the door.

Wendell, Gary, and Morris all ran over to push their snouts through the crowd of cat heads peeking out the little opening.

Just like a scene from a movie, the rain had slowed down almost entirely and the clouds were slowly parting to reveal the big, bright sun.

“It’s beautiful!” said one of the kitties.

The whole group was staring up at the light in the sky, their eyes bright with different colours as their pupils shrunk down to tiny little lines.

One cat slowly put her paw forward and down onto the wet ground. As they pressed down, water rose around the edges of their paw, causing them to yank it back dramatically and shake it with vigour. The others backed up after being sprayed with water droplets.

“We might need to wait a little while for the ground to dry up,” said a cat named Phillis.

The group agreed and everyone broke up chattering excitedly amongst each other.

“I don’t care if it’s wet, I need to get out of here!” said Gary.

“I’m with ya,” said Morris. “Wendell, you want to join us?”

“Are you kidding? I’d love to!” he said.

“This way!” said Morris. “Promise not to tell any of the other cats about it!”

Wendell nodded and the three of them headed down to the basement to sneak out the Gary and Morris’ favourite window. Some time ago they’d figured out how the latch works and that they can use their snouts to push it open.

“This is brilliant,” said Wendell as he watched Morris unlock the frame and swing it open.

Once outside, the cats found out immediately what they were in for. The ground was wet, soggy, and dirty. Their fur was already caked with mud and all they could do was laugh.

“We knew what we were getting into,” said Wendell, whose long fur was now clutching together like spikes from the wet mud.

“Oh, my goodness,” said Gary. “I’m soaked!”

Morris laughed at the two of them, then looked at his legs, paused and laughed again.

“Off we go!” he said as he darted towards the edge of the property – Gary and Wendell in tow.

They were splashing through the grass and having a great time, but when they entered the forest, they heard a cry from the distance.

“What was that?” asked Wendell.

Having never been in the forest before, he was on high alert. He was watching, listening to and smelling everything.

Gary and Morris also heard the noise. It sounded like a bird – a very small one. They followed the sounds for a while until they came across a small bush with a bunch of baby birds in it.

“Help us!” they cried.

“What happened?” asked Morris. “What’s wrong?”

“We can’t fly!” replied one of the babies.

“The storm pushed our nest out of the tree!” said another.

The cats looked at each other and then way up at the tree above. There wasn’t a nest in sight.

“We can’t find our mom either!” another baby said.

“We have to help them,” said Wendell.

“I always knew you were a good guy, Wendell,” said Morris.

“What do we do?” Wendell asked.

“We have some friends who can help,” Morris replied.  “Wendell, you keep the baby birds safe, Gary and I are going to get help.”

“You got it!” said Wendell.

He turned to the babies, and jokingly asked, “Anyone here from out of town?”

Gary and Morris ran as fast as they could through the forest trails to get to Bullwinkle’s cabin. Lots of their friends usually spent time there during the day and the odds were good they could find someone to help. Little did the cats know that while they were making their way to the cabin, Bullwinkle was already hanging out with the raccoon family, Terrance the beaver and Gilbert the crow.

The crew had been riding out the storm inside the cabin. Gilbert's nest was soaked, the raccoon family’s den had flooded and Terrance didn’t seem to mind the rain at all. He was just there for the conversation.

“So, what should we do first now that the rain has stopped?” asked Bullwinkle.

“My nest is going to need a lot of work after it manages to finally dry out,” said Gilbert. “That could take days!”

“Well, our place is flooded,” said Papa Raccoon.

“I suggest we deal with the raccoons first,” said Terrance. “Sitting water is not pretty, and even if it were to soak into the ground, it would take a long time and might yield some mold.”

Everyone looked at Terrance silently.

“What? I am an engineer, you know,” said the beaver.

They all laughed and agreed.

Just then Gary and Morris arrived in front of the cabin.

“Bullwinkle! Is anybody home?” Morris yelled.

The animals in the cabin got up and headed out the door to greet the cats.

“What’s going on, you guys?” asked Gilbert the crow.

“We came across some baby birds whose nest got blown out of their tree,” said Morris.

“We have to help them. They don’t know where their mama is!” Gary added.

The animals all felt sad when they heard about it.

“We can get to our place after. Those poor babies aren’t safe on the ground,” said Mama Raccoon.

“The unfortunate truth of the forest,” said Terrance. “That’s why we all stick together!”

Bullwinkle knelt down and shouted out to the group, “Climb aboard!”

Save for Gilbert, who would fly there on his own, the animals all clambered onto the great moose’s back. Once all were aboard, he slowly rose like a living skyscraper and strode off through the bush.

After walking for about 15 minutes, Bullwinkle, his back filled with cats and forest friends, came across Wendell and the little bird babies. The big long-haired cat had curled up into a ball with the birds in the middle and covered the top of them with his big bushy tail so they would stay dry and warm.

“Welcome back guys!” Wendell said with a grin. “These little babies sure are cute!”

Gilbert arrived a few moments earlier and asked the babies where their mama was. It turned out she was heading to the valley to collect some sticks to try and shore up their nest when the wind picked up. Gilbert figured she must have been blown off course.

“I am going to go find their mom!” he proclaimed, then beat his wings and took off into the sky.

“I think Gilbert is going to go find their mom,” Terrance said with a smirk.

The animals stared at him for a moment, then remembered that Terrance loved sarcasm – even at the worst of times.

“Anyways, how can we be of service to you little ones,” the beaver said, to break the silence.

“I think we need to build them a nest,” said Wendell, as he lifted a paw to point past the animals. “Their old one is sitting over there.”

Terrance looked over the old nest – now just a pile of soaking dead grass and a few sticks.

“Right. We can do much better than this. Raccoons, cats, I need your help with supplies.”

Mama and Papa raccoon left baby raccoon with Wendell and the birds then trotted off into the bush with Terrance and the other cats.

Bullwinkle knelt down on the ground and breathed warm air over the baby birds, Wendell, and the little raccoon.

“What a day,” Morris said to Gary.

“You’re telling me,” he replied.

A few moments later, Terrance and the gang emerged from the bush. The raccoons were carrying bundles of sticks in their hands, the cats had them in their mouths, and Terrance had a bunch of moss and grass on his tail.

It was clear the beaver had a plan. He was an engineer, after all. With his instructions and tiny little hands, he and the raccoons worked together to build what he referred to as, “The Ultimate, Weatherproof Nest”.

After they finished construction, Terrance had Baby Raccoon test its rigidity by playing inside it. It was quite spacious.

“It passes my test!” said Terrance. “Now to fasten it back to the tree.”

“I can climb up there if we fix it to my tail!” said Papa Raccoon.

“Brilliant!” said Terrance.

They tied the nest to Papa Raccoon using some vines and he scurried up the tree using his opposable thumbs and sharp claws. Once up there, he put the nest down and Terrance shouted up directions for how to secure it using the vines.

“Looks good!” shouted Papa Raccoon. “Let’s get those babies up here!”

“That’s where I come in!” said Mama Raccoon.

She scooped the babies up, then had them crawl over her shoulder and onto her back where she secured them with her tail. Once they were all on, she, too, scurried up the tree and towards the nest where her husband was already waiting.

The baby birds loved their new home.

“It’s so spacious!” said one.

“And warm!” said another.

“Thank you so much!” they all said. “But where is our mom?”

Gilbert had flown over much of the forest and was into the valley now looking for the baby birds’ mama.

“Where are you? Where?” he muttered to himself as he flew.

He felt like he had scanned almost every part of the valley and forest by now, then remembered the babies had mentioned the wind and the thought that she might have been blown off course. He knew he had to adjust his search area.

Gilbert headed down towards the riverbanks and something caught his ear. There were a bunch of birds all chirping like crazy down by the water. Unlike normal bird chirping, this was constant, anxious chirping – and lots of it.

He dove down to get a better look when he saw a group of 20, or so, tiny songbirds chirping around one that was sitting on the ground. He knew he had to investigate.

“What’s going on?” he asked the birds.

All at once, 20 songbirds started replying to him.

“SHE’S HURT! SHE FELL! SHE CAN’T GET UP! HER WING IS SPRAINED! I AM A DOCTOR!”

The birds were anxious alright, but it seemed like one of them had a better idea of what was going on.

“Her wing is sprained?” Gilbert asked the doctor bird.

“HER WING IS SPRAINED. SHE WAS BLOWN OFF COURSE AND HIT HER WING. NOT BROKEN THOUGH. SHE WILL BE ALRIGHT IN A FEW DAYS!” said the bird, as quickly and loudly as possible.

“I found her babies!” said Gilbert. “We need to get her back!”

The mama bird snapped her head around to get a better look at Gilbert.

“My babies! Are they okay?” she asked.

“They’re fine, but we need to get you back to them.”

“SHE CAN’T FLY! HER WING IS SPRAINED! SHE’S HURT! SHE FELL!” The songbirds were answering all at once.

“That’s right…” said Gilbert, as he pondered something. “But all of you can, right?”

The birds all shouted back positive responses.

“Then let’s airlift her back home!”

The songbirds weren’t too sure what Gilbert meant.

“I have just the thing! I’ll be back!” Gilbert took off back to his nest to retrieve something.

“HE’S A CROW! CROWS COLLECT ITEMS! SHINY ITEMS! LONG ITEMS! CROWS COLLECT! HE’S A CROW!” said the songbirds to each other.

Gilbert flew as fast as he could back home, then as fast as he could back to the riverbanks, and in his talons, he had a long piece of twine.

Once back, using his beak, he tied the twine around the mama bird and then instructed the songbirds to grab the twine with their feet.

When I give the order, we all take off at once!” said Gilbert. “Ready? Three… Two… One… Lift off!”

The birds all flapped their wings and lifted the injured mama bird off the ground and far above the trees. They were doing it! She was overjoyed and on the way home to her babies.

“This way!” said Gilbert, as he led the flock, clutching his own piece of the twine.

Mama and Papa Raccoon had been keeping the babies company in the tree while the cats, moose and beaver hung out on the ground.

“Look at that!” shouted Terrance, pointing upward with his tiny hand.

It was Gilbert and the songbirds. The beating of their wings was so intense that it made a very loud sound and pushed all the air down to the ground like a helicopter.

The baby birds saw their mom wrapped up in the twine and called out for her.

“My babies!” she said, as the songbirds slowly lowered her down to the nest.

Mama and Papa Raccoon pulled her in close then untied the twine and gave it a tug to let the birds know the job was done. She ran over to her babies and clutched them with her good wing.

She thanked the songbirds for their help, and they then thanked her for being so kind, over and over and over again, as quickly as possible, then they dispersed back into the air.

Mama Bird looked around at her new nest and couldn’t believe her eyes. She was so impressed.

“This is so beautiful! How did you make it?” she asked.

Terrance put his hand up.

“It was I who made the nest! I am a beaver, and very good at building, as you may know, but I couldn’t do it with my raccoon and cat friends, including our new friend here, Wendell.”

“I hope you enjoy your new stormproof home for many years to come,” said Wendell. “Your babies are very cute! Take care of them!”

Mama Bird was so happy to be reunited with her family and overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness. She was speechless.

After bidding the birds farewell, Bullwinkle, Terrance and Gilbert headed back to the cabin and Gary, Morris and Wendell headed back home.

“Boy that was an amazing adventure, you guys!” said Wendell. “We helped save that family!”

“You’re darn right,” said Morris.

“All in a day’s work,” said Gary, who looked over at Morris and the two laughed.

“She was really blown away by that new nest, too, and your friends are super cool!” said Wendell.

“It sounds like you were the one who was most blown away, today, eh Wendell?” Morris said with a grin.

“Can we do this again sometime?” Wendell asked. “Go into the forest and hang out with your buddies?”

“Of course we can,” said Gary. “But for now we need to get back home. Our mama is going to be worried about where we are.”

“And how dirty we are,” added Morris.

The cats laughed and trotted off down the forest paths to get back home. Once they arrived at the back door, Marjorie heard them meowing and opened it up.

“Oh my goodness you three are covered in mud!”

They were. It was all over their legs, and bellies, and Wendell even rolled over at one point – his long fur absolutely soaked.

“Bath time!” she said.