WHEN she discovered the stricken chicks lying on the road after their nest fell out of a yew tree, Janet Taylor got busy with her crochet hooks.
Janet, a professional crochet pattern designer from Driffield, turned a hat she had been crocheting into a nest and sewed it into the tree.
She stuffed it with feathers from the old nest and prayed the goldcrest parents and chicks would take to their new home.
Mrs Taylor said: "I just wondered what I could do as I couldn't just leave them.
"I didn't think it would work at all.
"I was worried sick that the parents might desert them and I just kept my fingers crossed.
"The next morning, I was delighted to see their parents flying to and from the nest to feed them.
"I kept a close eye on them as they were very close to the house."
It turned out to be a tense few days as Mrs Taylor kept a vigil on the nest.
She said: "A few days later, I had the pleasure of watching them leave the nest, all three looking healthy and well fed.
"I was delighted as, when I first found them, I didn't think they had much of a chance."
Mrs Taylor admits she doesn't have any expertise when it comes to ornithology and tried to save the birds more out of hope than expectation.
She said: "I wouldn't say I'm a wildlife enthusiast but there is plenty about in my garden and I appreciate it.
"I had no idea whether the hat would work as a nest so it came as a big relief when it worked.
"I'm just pleased I managed to save them."
But Mrs Taylor won't be leaving the nest in situ.
She said: "I don't think any other birds will want to use it as a nest and the blue colour doesn't really blend in with the rest of the tree."
The goldcrest is the UK's smallest bird. The birds are dull greyish-green with a pale belly and a black and yellow stripe on their heads, which has an orange centre in males.
Their thin beak is ideally suited for picking insects out from between pine needles.
The RSPB has praised the actions of Mrs Taylor and admits it was a rather unorthodox approach.
Val Osborne, RSPB wildlife adviser, said: "We're urging everyone to give nature a home but this is certainly going above and beyond.
"I've never heard of a completely crocheted nest before and it's great that the birds took to their new home."
Finding young chicks on the ground isn't always bad news but, in this case, the chicks were in danger."
Ms Osborne said: "Young birds are often found on the ground and in the majority of cases they can be left alone.
"They have probably fledged and the parents will be close at hand to care for them.
"However, in Mrs Taylor's case, with the nest completely destroyed and the chicks too young to be out of the nest, they would almost certainly not have survived without some creative intervention.
"It's a lovely ending to this yarn."
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