It was the cliff-hanger ending that no one expected.
When two nest-bound chough chicks were orphaned a joyful story about a family of rare coastal birds was poised to turn into a tragedy.
Then a chough foster father stepped into to help rear the youngsters, feeding them grubs and teaching them how to fly.
Thanks to his three week solo stint, they are set to survive into adulthood after taking to the wing for the first time on Thursday.
The moving drama unfolded on cliffs around the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall this week, where choughs re-established themselves in 2001 after a lengthy absence.
Although he has been dubbed a ‘champion chough’ by twitchers, it’s thought the foster father may have contributed to the death of one or both parents.
‘The male of the pair had got into fights over territory with this neighbouring, younger male. The female was already sitting on chicks when her partner disappeared,’ explained Claire Mucklow, an officer from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
For a while the female teamed up with the lone bird but then she also vanished. As it is unknown for adult birds to leave chicks, experts are assuming she has died.
‘We don’t know what has happened to her but she may have pined to death following the demise of her original partner as they spent 14 years together, rarely more than a few metres apart,’ Claire said.
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