Animal Rescue

It would seem that there might be reason for many I-told-you-so's after Mom wouldn't let Dad get rid of the nest that some ingenious birds built in our vent.  They actually have to stand on the side of the house and lift the flap to get in and out.  But the nest is safe and we hear little cheeps from the hungry babies, and can see what seems like Mom, Dad, and a few grandparents flying in and out with worms for the little ones.  Smart birds. 

 

Dad had reason to be a little smug when they came home from work to what sounded like a bird in the kitchen.  We've been listening to the babies for three weeks, but this bird was IN the kitchen.  It actually sounded like it was in the microwave, and it was LOUD.  We informed Mom and Dad that we had heard it all day.  Mom and Dad knew we must rescue the bird.  This was a little complicated.  We assumed it had entered the pipe for the vent and wandered as far into the house as it could go.  But where did the vent go?  It had to go through the ceiling and walls.  The search resulted in a panel being removed from a cupboard and the wall-mounted microwave being removed from the wall. 

 

And there he was.  The baby bird was stuck in the vent behind the microwave, which, if you are familiar with our house, you know is on the far wall of our kitchen, about 12 feet in.  This bird was an explorer! 

 

The vent panel.

We took the bird outside to reunite it with its parents.

After a bit of struggling (remember, this bird had NEVER been outside the dark nest and had never flown before), he made it up to a tree.

This is actually the second animal rescue we have done.  Last year we saved the swallows in a nest in our birdhouse, which was pushed off it's perch by a cat.  So much excitement in our house.  Next year we are going to put some strips of duct tape on the vents to prevent this from becoming an annual event.  And we are hoping that the bird's brothers and sisters, who are still in the nest, are a little less adventurous than this guy.