Blue tit rescued from drain in risky operation

Rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) were called to a helpless little blue tit which became stuck in a drain in Heathfield, East Sussex. “When we arrived on site we could hear the young bird but it was not clear whether the bird was underground or in the pipe coming down from the guttering” said WRAS’s founder Trevor Weeks, “We used the ladder from our ambulance to climb up and check the pipe which helped confirm the bird was definitely underground.” Rescuers were at first baffled about how they were going to get the small delicate bird out of the pipe without causing it injury.



“Pushing the bird along the pipe was likely to cause it injury so that was out of the question. We decided to use a machine which blows air in an attempt to encourage the bird along the pipe safely” said WRAS Rescuer Manager Chris Riddington. “This didn’t work as the distance along the pipe was just too great and branched off and too difficult to contain and control the air well enough. We were running out of options and we knew that if we left the bird it was almost certain death in the dark underground.” Rescuers then decided to try a risky approach of flushing the bird out from the pipe. “This should only be done as a last resort, as it carries risks.





“You need to get a balance between the volume of water not being too high that you drown the bird and it not being enough that the bird doesn’t float and move anywhere and just gets wet, then cold and hypothermic. It is also really important that the water isn’t cold as the small young bird would potentially die of shock or hypothermia” explained Trevor. Rescuer Chris positioned himself at the drain to catch the bird, whilst Trevor used his experience to gauge the level of water needed to flush the bird out safely. “To say the least I was worried about doing this and the risk of the bird drowning, but thankfully Trevor’s experience proved to be right and it worked” said Chris. “The little bird came floating out from the pipe into my net where I could then reach in and pick him up and bring him to safety.


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“I wrapped him in my hands to give him warmth, and we borrowed a hairdryer on a low setting to gently warm the little chap up” added Chris. Chris concentrated on looking after the little bird and warming him up whilst Trevor drove them back to WRAS’s Casualty Care Centre at Whitesmith. Rescuers then introduced him to two other similar aged fledgling blue tits already in care. “It was amazing to see his transformation from a little wet blob to a fluffy feathered squeaky lively blue tit. It is amazing that we rescued him and I really thought he was going to be a step too far for us to be able to rescue and save but we really didn’t want to leave him to die underground” said Chris. “The little blue tit is now settled in with two friends now and will eventually be soft released in a little group once old enough.“