Earlier this month, Nottingham University Library had an unlikely set of visitors. A family of ducks marched past their way in the library completely unfazed by human presence in the vicinity. The mother and her ducklings walked in a neat line presenting a cute sight to the readers of the library. These ducks had actually visited the university library in the month of July, but the footage was made available to the public in September.

A Cute Sight to Behold

As it was quite hot that particular day (climate change is happening), the library had left their doors open to let the natural breeze in. These ducks, who were wandering on the nearby streets, noticed the open door and straightway entered the library premises. The University’s library advisor later told the media outlets that he had seen ducks in the oddest places, but it was for the first time he saw them (ducks) in a library.” Hmm, these ducks seem to be a curious and bibliophile bunch. Maybe we could learn something from them.

And, Off They Go!

However, their library trip was cut short as they were ushered back through the gates gently by a staff member and ultimately to their pond. They retaliated by ignoring the library sign as they walked out (or should we say, waddled out) of the library with their head held high. We feel like fewer and fewer students frequent the library these days; these ducks must have taken it upon themselves to strengthen the headcount in the library. While we are not exactly sure of what attracted them in the first place, one thing we are sure of is that these ducks must have ruled the university conversation among the students and staff that week in real life and across digital domains. Isn’t that the cutest?

It’s not often that you hear about a man and a bird becoming best friends. However, that’s precisely what happened after firefighter Matt Owens rescued a young magpie – that he named Swoop – and cared for it like one of his own.

Injured And Abandoned

Matt and Swoop didn’t meet in the most fortunate of circumstances, given that the latter was bleeding and abandoned on the side of the road. The firefighter was concerned about the bird’s chances of survival on its own, which is why he scooped the animal up and brought them home. There was no resistance from Swoop, presumably because they were too weak to try and get away. Thankfully, Owens meant the magpie no harm; he just wanted to help.

A Surprising Friendship

Taking care of a bird isn’t something that the firefighter was necessarily experienced in. However, he managed to nurse the magpie back to health, raising them alongside his pet cat Mowgli. The feline wasn’t sure what to make of the new addition at first, but it seems the more time they spent together, the closer they became. Unfortunately, Swoop had no intention of sticking around for the long-term, and by the time they’d healed their wounds and grown stronger, it was time to fly the nest.

Serving Their Purpose

Matt wasn’t sad to see Swoop leave, because his hope was always that the magpie would feel ready to return to the wild. What’s more, the timing seemed fitting, given the other things going on in Owens’ life. When he’d found Swoop, his dad had been diagnosed with cancer earlier that day. Unfortunately, his father succumbed to his illness, and it was shortly after he passed away that the bird left their new home. Perhaps Swoop was the universe’s way of keeping the firefighter together during a difficult time.

If Matt, Swoop, and Mowgli aren’t true friendship goals, we don’t know what are.