It was an eventful day for a Portager who found themselves taking care of an injured bird during the storm late last month.

Helena Kot says on May 31st, the day of the storm that brought over 100 km/h winds, she found a little bird in the middle of the street. Due to the intense weather at the time, she wasn't able to sit there and do anything about it.

"I just brought it home and then just kept it for a few hours," notes Kot. "I think she was just exhausted from battling that wind. I just fed her some little mealworms, and she had a nice rest. Then I let her go when things calmed down in the evening."

She mentions she's gotten some flack for her decision as it's looked down upon to take a migratory bird into your home, but to her, it was a desperate time that called for a desperate measure. She says after she's done looking after them, she takes them to wildlife rehab centres but didn't think it was necessary for this bird to be taken all the way to Winnipeg.

"It's not something that I recommend people do because most people don't know what certain birds eat," says Kot when asked if people should bring any injured bird they see into their home. "I just don't want to recommend that people do that unless they're going to take it to the rehab."

She adds she has a little bit of experience with birds, as she's taken them to the rehab centres quite a few times.

"I just want people to be aware. We know we're so lucky. We're right on the edge of a major migratory route for birds," says Kot. "So, we get to see so many different kinds of birds, and a lot of people don't even notice that we have these gorgeous little creatures flying through our area."

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