A MENAGERIE OF WAYWARD BIRDS

This one takes place before the first season episode 'Goodnight, Sweet Skipper'

JULY 8, 1964

The Professor and Mary Ann had just decided on a perfect spot to plant their vegetable seeds when Gilligan came running up.

"Hey Professor, Mary Ann I think there may be a donkey on the island!" Gilligan exclaimed.

"A donkey are you sure?" Mary Ann asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah I was about to fish a little ways from the Minnow when I heard it braying!" Gilligan explained. "Come on let's try to find it!"

They followed Gilligan to the beach where the Minnow had beached then walked along the beach for about a mile until they came to a rocky part of the beach near a cliff. As they stopped walking they heard the braying.

"Oh my gosh look over there!" Gilligan exclaimed pointing.

The Professor and Mary Ann looked to where Gilligan was pointing expecting to see a donkey. Their mouths dropped open when they saw in front of them several small penguins. Half of them were waddling about while the other half seemed to be sitting in their nests.

"Is this real?" Mary Ann asked. "I thought penguins lived in Antarctica!"

"Actually there's a few species of penguins that live in warm places!" Gilligan explained.

"I've even seen a flock of these penguins in a nearby grotto close to the Holden Resort back in Honolulu!" The Professor replied.

A couple of penguins wondered closer to them and Gilligan kneeled down.

"Gilligan I wouldn't do that," Mary Ann whispered watching as the penguins let Gilligan pat them.

"Amazing isn't it!" The Professor replied. "It would seem that the animals here on the island are drawn to him!"

They looked up as several of the penguins began braying again. All the penguins seemed to waddle quickly back to their mates in their nests who had gotten up to reveal eggs that had little cracks on them. All the penguins seemed to touch each other's noses in unison. Gilligan, the Professor, and Mary Ann took their cue to leave when they saw beaks poking out of the eggs.

This one takes place after the first season episode 'The Sound of Quacking'

AUGUST 18, 1964

After a night of heavy wind and rain Gilligan was out collecting firewood. He was bending down to pick up a piece of wood when he heard a strange hoarse whistle and a snort. He straightened and turned around to find a white swan with an orange bill with a knob on top staring right at him. The swan turned around, looked back and grunted at him.

"Do you want me to follow?" Gilligan asked.

The swan gave him another hoarse whistle then began walking. Gilligan put down the firewood and followed it. He followed it along the path that lead to the lagoon but then stopped at the base of the palm tree that grew at an odd angle out over the lagoon. The swan looked up at Gilligan then out into the lagoon. Gilligan followed its line of sight and gasped. Up near the palm leaves was another swan with one of its wings tangled in what appeared to be fishing wire hanging mere inches from the water. As he looked on the entangled swan whistled hoarsely and the other one by him whistled back.

"Oh boy!" Gilligan exclaimed. "Don't worry ma'am I'll save your husband!"

The swan snorted and ruffled its feathers.

"Oh uh sorry!" Gilligan replied apologetically. "Don't worry sir I'll save your wife!"

Gilligan stealthily climbed along the trunk of the tree then hopped up onto the rest of the tree then shimmied over to where the swan hung. He bit his lip as he inspected the entanglement. It didn't look good at all. He slowly got out his pocket knife.

"Are you strong enough to give me your other wing?" Gilligan asked hesitantly unsure how to proceed.

She snorted and reached up with her other wing. Gilligan took it as she reached up and wrapped her neck around Gilligan's.

"That'll do!" Gilligan replied as he cut the wire from the tree and quickly sat up and adjusted his hold on her. With her neck still wrapped around him he walked along the tree back to shore.

"You don't mind that she's doing this right?" Gilligan asked the male swan who answered by snorting and shaking his head. "I'm afraid she's tangled pretty badly we have to take her back to camp so the Professor can help!"

He whistled hoarsely and took off flying towards camp.

"Hey wait for us!" Gilligan replied as he followed close behind him.

0o0o0o0o

The Skipper was just entering the clearing and the Professor was sitting at the communal table when a swan flew in and landed on the table in front of the Professor causing him to jump right out his seat and bump into the Skipper causing him to drop the firewood he was carrying. Then Gilligan came running into camp with another swan in his arms.

"Professor, you have to help her," Gilligan began as he laid the swan down gently in front of him. "Her wing got all tangled in fishing wire. She was hanging from a tree when I found her."

"Let me take a look!" The Professor replied as he left and went into the supply hut then returned with a magnifying glass and the tool box. He raised his eyebrow when he saw that Gilligan had the swan in his lap. He sat down spread open the swan's wing just as the girls and the Howells joined them.

"How beautiful!" Mrs. Howell replied. "We saw a whole flock of them in the Thames River in London."

"I worked with a couple of them in a movie once!" Ginger replied as Mary Ann helped hold up the swan's wing. "They were really nasty though!"

They watched in silence as the Professor continued to cut and unwrap the wire

0o0o0o0o

Later Gilligan lay in his hammock with both swans laying on either side of him with their heads resting on each other's shoulders. Unfortunately the Professor discovered that the female swan's wing was damaged beyond repair and had to remove it. Gilligan insisted that the swans would be more comfortable with him in the hammock so here they were as the Professor disposed of the wing.

"Gilligan are they going to stay in here all night?" The Skipper asked as he came in.

"Yeah they had a rough day I want them to be comfortable!" Gilligan replied.

"Okay!" The Skipper replied as he got into the hammock. "So have you given them names yet?"

"Yeah uh Iona and Eugene after my grandparents!" Gilligan replied yawning.

A/N: African penguins are known for their donkey-like bray. They are about two feet tall. They are found on the south-western coast of Africa. They mate for life and return to the same breeding grounds each year.

The swans Gilligan befriends are mute swans. They are mostly recognizable by the black knob on top of their bill. They are less vocal than the other swan species but do make various grunting whistling and snorting noises. When defending their nests they can be very aggressive. In Britain the Queen owns any bird unmarked. When they feel comfortable enough in your presence they will wrap their necks around yours.

This will be a multi-chapter arc about that many birds that loose their way and land on the island.

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