Oswald and the Timberdoodles by Priscilla Cummings (HC)

Oswald is a great blue heron with a great big problem. He can't straighten his long neck. This creates trouble when it becomes Oswald's turn to guard the marsh. Unable to see over the tall grass, he is banished to the far corner of Shady Creek. There he meets a group of friendly little birds, the timberdoodles, who recognize Oswald's special talent: forecasting the weather. Only after Oswald's timely warning about a tornado do the other herons finally accept Oswald for who he is.