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Eggs of elusive bird rescued by firefighters during wildfire

Barry O'ConnorBBC News NI
News imageNIFRS Four eggs in a nestNIFRS
During the fire in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, a curlew nest in the fires path was found

The eggs of an elusive bird were saved by firefighters during a "significant wildfire" as their nest was close to being lost in the blaze.

During the fire in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh, a curlew nest, directly in the fire's path, was found.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said: "Despite challenging conditions, firefighters protected the nest whilst continuing firefighting operations."

At the height of the incident, 85 firefighters battled the blaze for eight hours and it was dealt with around 20:40 GMT on Thursday.

News imageGetty Images The brown and white spotted bird on the shore line with its long pointed beak Getty Images
The curlew was once common across Northern Ireland, with its long bill and haunting, bubbling call

NIFRS said in a statement that it worked with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the eggs were "safely removed for incubation where they now have a chance of survival".

With about 150 breeding pairs of curlews left in Northern Ireland, NIFRS is urging the public to act responsibly in the countryside and to report fires immediately as wildlife can be decimated by wildfires.

News imageNIFRS Four eggs in a anest, behind them the ground is scorched from a wildfireNIFRS
Despite challenging conditions, firefighters protected the nest whilst continuing firefighting operations

The curlew was once a common sight across Northern Ireland, but numbers had fallen by more than 80% since the 1980s.

But in recent years, through conservation efforts, the bird is now "thriving" in parts of Northern Ireland.