Baby birds hitch ride on transport truck travelling from Alberta to B.C.

Five baby birds inadvertently hitched a 12-hour ride – without their parents – from Calgary to Metro Vancouver recently.

The black-billed magpie fledglings were recently brought, in their nest, to the headquarters of the Wildlife Rescue Association in Burnaby, according to a news release issued by the organization Thursday.

"As a species not typically found in the Lower Mainland, some detective work was needed to discover the origin of these hungry baby birds," Kimberly Stephens, a rescue manager, explained in the statement, noting the trip would have taken about 12 hours.

"We discovered that the magpie parents had built their nest on the back of a transport truck originating out of Calgary.”

The driver of the truck noticed the unexpected passengers and brought them to the rescue on June 30. Since then, the charity has been working on sending the birds back to Alberta, which requires getting permits and veterinary health documentation as well as arranging and paying for a flight.

"In the meantime, Wildlife Rescue is ensuring the birds are well taken care of in the absence of their magpie parents," the statement from the association says.

The non-profit says it cares for more than 6,000 wild animals each year, relying largely on donations from the public in order to do so.