Dryer malfunction vs mother nature.....

So for the last few weeks our dryer has just not been functioning well and I was at a loss for why. I checked the lint pocket and the dryer connection and everything was fine. It was heating up but it just wasn't drying the clothes like it usually does. Yesterday I went outside to shake a rug and happened to look over and saw that there was all this stuff hanging out of a vent looking thing (I am sure this is the technical term for it!) and thought, perhaps that is the dryer outlet.

I yelled to Chris to come and investigate (I didn't want to be attacked by a bird after all) and this is what we found.....

Needless to say, the dryer is working really well today and a sad little bird is now homeless.