Eggs of elusive bird rescued by firefighters during wildfire

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.

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.

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