Mothers are usually prepared to put their bodies on the line to save their young, and mother birds are no different.
A thrush has saved her chicks from being washed away after she used her body as a dam in an overflowing drainpipe.
The scene has been captured on camera by an amateur photographer in Fareham, Hampshire.
Bird bath... Mother thrush uses herself as dam to protect nest from overflowing drainpipe
By Daily Mail Reporter
28th May 2009
Daily Mail
These amazing photographs show the moment a mother bird saved her chicks from being washed away by using her own body as a dam.
The mistle thrush had unwittingly built her nest on top of a downpipe, blocking the water's passage and causing the gutter to flood.
Desperate to protect her young, the clever bird puffed herself up to twice her normal size and sat in the drainpipe to stop the tide of rain water swamping the nest.
Mother love: Water rises to the female mistle thrush's breast as she wedges herself in the gutter while her mate feeds the chicks
Amateur wildlife photographer Dennis Bright, who captured the scene at a house in Fareham, Hampshire, said he had never seen a bird do this before.
'The nest was tucked away from the weather in the shade of the roof but it was so close to the downpipe the gutter flooded when it rained,' he said.
'It was only a matter of seconds before the pipe flooded, and water cascaded over the sides.'
Mr Bright said he was astonished by the bird's ingenuity.
He said: 'She had to come up with a solution so she puffed herself up until she was twice the size of her mate and used her body as a cork to stop the water - it was absolutely amazing.
'She was very dedicated, sitting there even when the rain was hammering down.
'Then every half an hour she would get out, dry herself off and come back.'
Helping out: The father mistle thrush feeds the mother so she won't have to leave her post
Her mate was left to feed their young and the mother herself, Mr Bright noticed.
RSPB expert Hester Phillips said the society had heard of birds nesting in sites as bizarre as the top of traffic lights but she had never seen one in a situation like this.
But she added: 'Birds can be amazingly hardy creatures, their endurance is incredible - especially when protecting their young.
'Mistle thrushes prefer natural nesting like tall trees or shrubs. If they can't find this natural habitat, they'll look for something which closely resembles it, and this small, secluded spot appears to do the job.'
Despite their precarious beginning in life the four chicks were perfectly healthy and all flew the nest successfully.
dailymail.co.uk
A thrush has saved her chicks from being washed away after she used her body as a dam in an overflowing drainpipe.
The scene has been captured on camera by an amateur photographer in Fareham, Hampshire.
Bird bath... Mother thrush uses herself as dam to protect nest from overflowing drainpipe
By Daily Mail Reporter
28th May 2009
Daily Mail
These amazing photographs show the moment a mother bird saved her chicks from being washed away by using her own body as a dam.
The mistle thrush had unwittingly built her nest on top of a downpipe, blocking the water's passage and causing the gutter to flood.
Desperate to protect her young, the clever bird puffed herself up to twice her normal size and sat in the drainpipe to stop the tide of rain water swamping the nest.
Mother love: Water rises to the female mistle thrush's breast as she wedges herself in the gutter while her mate feeds the chicks
Amateur wildlife photographer Dennis Bright, who captured the scene at a house in Fareham, Hampshire, said he had never seen a bird do this before.
'The nest was tucked away from the weather in the shade of the roof but it was so close to the downpipe the gutter flooded when it rained,' he said.
'It was only a matter of seconds before the pipe flooded, and water cascaded over the sides.'
Mr Bright said he was astonished by the bird's ingenuity.
He said: 'She had to come up with a solution so she puffed herself up until she was twice the size of her mate and used her body as a cork to stop the water - it was absolutely amazing.
'She was very dedicated, sitting there even when the rain was hammering down.
'Then every half an hour she would get out, dry herself off and come back.'
Helping out: The father mistle thrush feeds the mother so she won't have to leave her post
Her mate was left to feed their young and the mother herself, Mr Bright noticed.
RSPB expert Hester Phillips said the society had heard of birds nesting in sites as bizarre as the top of traffic lights but she had never seen one in a situation like this.
But she added: 'Birds can be amazingly hardy creatures, their endurance is incredible - especially when protecting their young.
'Mistle thrushes prefer natural nesting like tall trees or shrubs. If they can't find this natural habitat, they'll look for something which closely resembles it, and this small, secluded spot appears to do the job.'
Despite their precarious beginning in life the four chicks were perfectly healthy and all flew the nest successfully.
dailymail.co.uk