Video: Birds found nesting in tractor engine

Grass-cutting at a nature reserve has been put on hold after birds were found nesting in the engine of a tractor.

A pair of pied wagtails and their four chicks were found tucked in the engine of the reserve tractor at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre at Welney, near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Using the tractor to cut the reserve has been temporarily delayed, but the chicks are almost ready to leave the nest now and will soon be learning how to fend for themselves.

Reserve warden Louise Clewley said she noticed the adults had bills filled with insects so she knew they must have a nest nearby.

“I checked all the obvious places like the open-fronted nest box, in among the nettles and crawled around the trailer.

“But I found that they had actually chosen the engine of the tractor,” she added.

“These small black and white birds have a habit of wagging their tail even when standing still.

“Visitors can normally get quite close to the pairs that nest along the bridge, unlike these guys who wanted to stand out from the crowd.”