The RSPB is urging people to keep their eyes open for newborn chicks leaving their nests for the first time.
The message comes after a water technician came to the rescue of a brood of chicks that had found themselves trapped in a water container in Suffolk.
Anglian Water technician Adrian Scotcher was making a routine visit to the temporary container at Watson’s Corner Water Tower in Polstead Heath when he found a brood of young blue tits.
The birds had fledged from a nest in an extractor fan.
Upon finding the chicks, Mr Scotcher acted quickly to save the two chicks that had survived.
Mr Scotcher said: “I opened the door and straight away one of them plopped down on me from above, the others had dropped down on to a control panel.
“I managed to save two of them and took them outside and put them on a bush – I just hope their parents were able to find them.
“It’s certainly not what I was expecting to find on my visit, but I’m just glad I managed to get there in time to save some of them.”
Mr Scotcher said the chicks happily sat on his hand while he moved them to the safety of the nearby hedge.
This time of the year is the time when most newborn chicks leave their nests for the first time.
Rupert Masefield, from the RSPB, said: “Birds like blue tits, swallows, swifts and house martins, and many others, will happily nest close to or even in people’s houses, or barns and other buildings, even in urban areas.
“During this, the peak fledging period for many of our most familiar breeding birds, it’s not uncommon to come across young fledglings that have just left their nest for the first time.”
Mr Masefield said if the fledglings are not in immediate danger, the best thing to do is to leave them where they are.
He added: “Their parents will often be keeping an eye on them and some will continue to bring the young bird food after they leave the nest.
“If they’re in the middle of a footpath or road, you can help by moving them into the verge or a nearby bush, so Adrian did exactly the right thing.”
For more information on the best way to help wildlife, including advice on helping injured birds, visit www.rspb.org.uk/advice
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