Video - East Sussex rescuers care for baby birds after narrow escape from chainsaw

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) received a call on Thursday (May 12) that a nest of birds had been found after the cutting down of a tree at a property at Sedlescombe.

A tree surgeon had checked for birds nests but had no idea there was a nest inside the trunk. They contacted WRAS as soon as they were discovered.

A veterinary ambulance was sent to the scene to assess the young and their condition.

WRAS rescuers Hev Clarke and Sandra Furner attended on site and were given a round of the tree trunk which contained the nest of blue tits.

Hev said: “We were amazed at how close the saw blades must have come to the youngsters. Sadly there were signs that one may have perished but the five in the nest were extremely lucky and very narrowly missed the saw. If they had raised their heads up or the saw had be placed just 1cm lower they would all have been killed.”

The five nestling blue tits were taken to WRAS’s Casualty Centre at Whitesmith and transferred to an incubator.

They will now be hand reared by staff and fed every 15 minutes from 7am till 10pm.

Trevor Weeks, founder of the charity, said: “This is a timely reminder that at this time of year birds are nesting everywhere.

"It really isn’t a good time to be cutting down trees or removing bushes, although we appreciate that urgent action is sometimes needed.

"It is essential that trees and bushes are checked thoroughly and not to forget that holes in tree trunks are often used by not just woodpeckers but other smaller birds like blue tits and robins.

“Our staff and volunteers are work really hard at this time of year and we have over 250 casualties in care at the moment.”

East Sussex WRAS is is one of the South East’s biggest wildlife rescue centres and has been a registered charity since 2005.

To watch the video visit the WRAS Youtube channel.