Wayward bird found in Ontario flies business class back home to B.C.

CTV National News: Rare bird flown home A rare oriole from the west that had flown thousands of kilometres off course into Ontario has finally returned home. Melanie Nagy reports.

A Bullock's oriole that somehow flew off course and landed in eastern Ontario in 2015 has arrived back in British Columbia after being escorted by an Air Canada employee on a cross-Canada flight.

Ray Holland, an Ottawa-area birdwatcher, discovered the little western bird in Packenham, Ont., in December, 2015. The bird, suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, was taken to the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre, where it remained until plans were made to fly it back home.

Air Canada paid for the bird to fly business class accompanied by Air Canada employee Dave Starke. The bird spent the journey inside a small red carrying case and arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday.

The bird was then brought to a wildlife sanctuary to be examined by a team of veterinarians.

“It’s a long flight for a little bird, they’re not normally used to flying on airplanes,” said Laura Evans with the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.

The wildlife centre will monitor the bird’s flying abilities, foraging skills and the condition of its feathers. Once given the all clear, the bird will be set free.

Holland, the bird’s saviour, died a few days ago, “so unfortunately he didn’t get to see the end of this story,” Patty McLaughlin of the Ottawa Valley Wild Bird Care Centre told CTV Ottawa.

Bullock's orioles are found in the southernmost part of B.C. and Alberta, but their main range is in the U.S. Iseman said it’s likely that a winter storm or strong winds blew the oriole off course in 2015, landing it in Ontario.

Because federal laws and regulations would have made flying the bird to the U.S. very difficult, officials say the decision was made to send it back to B.C.

It is hoped that the bird will then fly itself to the southern U.S. or northern Mexico, its native wintering grounds.

Asked why the bird couldn’t just fly out west on its own, Sandra Iseman, spokesperson for the Ottawa bird care centre, said the centre didn’t want to release non-native species into the Ontario ecosystem.

Iseman said the centre had received hundreds of offers to fly the bird to B.C. In the end, the centre worked with the BC Wildlife Rescue Association and Air Canada to secure necessary permits and permission to transport the bird by plane.

“I love stories like this. I love it when airlines help out and people band together,” Iseman said. “We couldn’t be more grateful, we couldn’t be more inspired by the outpouring of emotion and compassion.”

With files from CTV Ottawa and The Canadian Press