Friesian birding organisation BFVW is warning that newly born chicks are dying because of a lack of insects brought on by drought, and are calling on farmers and people with gardens to provide water.

The plight of the lapwing is particularly serious, the organisation said. ‘The chicks are hatching en masse at the moment and immediately go off in search of food. But they are not finding any. The drought in the fields is such that the chicks are dying of hunger before they are two days old,’ the website said.

Adult meadow bird are experiencing problems as well because the worms have retreated deeply into the dried-out soil which their beaks cannot penetrate.

‘It’s very sad to see the dead chicks, but there are some simple measures we can take to help them, BFVW chairman Frans Kloosterman said.

Farmers can pump water onto their land and fill up ditches, so insects will return and worms surface, the organisation suggests, and gardeners can create puddles so swallows are able to use the mud they need to build their nests.