Four curlew chicks have been released into the wild on Slieve Beagh after their eggs were rescued from a wildfire that swept across the mountain on 30 April.

The nest belonged to one of only about six breeding pairs remaining on Slieve Beagh, which straddles counties Fermanagh, Tyrone and Monaghan. The site is part of a cross-border conservation effort to protect the critically endangered bird.

The eggs were collected by Róisín Normanly, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) conservation advisor, after the Northern Ireland Environment Agency granted emergency permission. She had discovered the nest the previous morning and erected a protective fence around it.

As firefighters tackled the blaze, the adult curlews remained overhead fending off crows for more than three hours. Given the prolonged absence of incubation and the ongoing disturbance, the decision was made to remove the eggs from the nest.

Ms Normanly and a colleague from the Sliabh Beagh Curlew Conservation Trust packed the eggs into a lunchbox and transported them to an incubation facility. There, the eggs were kept in a small incubator that regulated temperature and humidity and turned them automatically.

After hatching, the chicks were placed under a brooding lamp before moving to a brooding tub and then an outdoor aviary. Curlew chicks feed themselves from the start and do not require external heat after two weeks. They spent about 50 days in captivity before they were capable of controlled flight.

Prior to release, the fledglings were fitted with GPS tags and coloured identification rings. One bird flew away immediately, while the other three walked into the surrounding habitat.

Curlew numbers have declined by 97% since the 1980s. An estimated 150 pairs remain in Northern Ireland and fewer than 100 in the Republic of Ireland. Changes in land use, habitat loss and predation are cited as key factors.

The fire that prompted the rescue destroyed other ground nests on the bog, including those of meadow pipits and skylarks. Conservationists warned that wildfires in upland areas during the breeding season can wipe out local bird populations and that habitats take years to recover.