While we all know that human parents will do anything to protect their children from danger, if these two birds are any indication, the same principal applies in the animal world.

The event took place at a house in Fareham, Hampshire, where a Mistle Thrush had built a nest over a pipe, not realizing that it blocked the water's passage, which in turn resulted in flooding the gutter, especially when it started to rain.

Realizing that her young ones could be in great danger, the mother came up with an amazing solution. She puffed her wings to twice their size and blocked the water from destroying her nest and endangering her baby chicks.

According to wildlife photographer, Dennis Bright who happened to catch the whole scene as it unfolded, the mother sat there the entire the time it rained. Every half an hour, she would leave for a few seconds, dry herself out and sit right back in.

Meanwhile, the father bird was no slouch either. He made sure that his babies and their mother were well fed during the whole time. The best part is, the whole family survived the ordeal and the four perfectly healthy chicks flew away to start a new life.

Mistle Thrush birds are native to Europe and Asia. Both male and female birds have grayish brown backs with distinct black spots on their white bellies. They are omnivores and eat a variety of insects, earthworms and fruits - their favorite being berries. The males tend to sing in a melodious tune at nights or during bad weather - and judging from the story above, they are obviously very good and caring parents!

sources: wikipedia.org, dailymail.co.uk