STAFF AT the Scottish SPCA Wildlife Centre near Dunfermline have waved goodbye to a pair of young lapwings following a month of care.

The birds were rescued after they were abandoned by their parents just days after hatching but thanks to intensive treatment they grew strong enough to be successfully released.

They will now find their own way at a bird reserve, where they are considered to be a high priority conservation species.

Wildlife Centre manager Colin Seddon said, “The chicks were only a few days old when they arrived with us and weren’t ready to be away from their mother.

“They were given fluids and placed in a brooder to warm them up.

“The following day they were moved into a larger brooder where they were fed on mealworms and insectivorous bird food, which they helped themselves to.”

The lapwing population has been declining in the UK in recent years.

To help with rehoming an animal or to make a donation to the charity visit www.scottishspca.org or call 03000 999 999.