3 Red Deer children rescue bird hurt by hail

A trio of Red Deer children rescued an injured bird after it appeared to have suffered a broken wing in Thursday evening's hail storm.

The storm blew through the city starting at about 5p.m. MT Thursday and around 7 p.m., local photographer Jeff Stokoe came across the children as they tried to help the bird.

Brentan Vinoeau, 11, says he spotted the seagullon the road while driving home from the babysitter's and got out of the car to try and wrap it in his jacket.

"It was just freaking out," saidBrentan. "So we managed to get it into a corner and put it in a bucket."

Brentan's10-year-old sister, Chasity, and her friend Jordan Unraualso joined in the effort to herd the injured and frightened bird off the road and away from oncoming vehicles.

They say they think the bird was likely hit by hail and may have fallen to the ground.

"It was just flopping around on the middle of the road so we were trying to get it moved over to the side," said Chasity."What might have happened is he might have been flying maybe and got hit."

Chasity's friend Jordan Unrau says they knew there was something wrong with the bird as soon as they saw it.

"It kept falling over," she said.

Golf ball-sized hail struck throughout the area Thursday, smashing out windows on several vehicles.

The bird was taken to theMedicine River Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and is now being looked after by a volunteer. The organization has taken in 20 birds that werehurt during the storm.