29 June 2012 Last updated at 20:16 ET

Derbyshire moorland fire chicks 'appear to have survived'

New grass is growing on the burned area boundary near the site of the nest

Two chicks from a nest within a metre of being destroyed in a moorland fire appear to have survived say Peak District rangers.

Derbyshire's National Park Authority said a fire on Beeley Moor in May wiped out the nests of many wild birds.

Ranger Pete Bush said: "When I returned this week... I was surprised to see the burnt area covered in fresh green moor grass.

He said the nest was empty but he could hear the "bubbling call of a Curlew."

'Hasty retreat'

Mr Bush said he was assessing the damage caused the day after the fire when he originally came across the Curlew nest.

He said: "When I arrived... there was one chick hatched and one egg intact.

"An adult bird was calling nearby so I made a hasty retreat to allow it to return before predators found the nest, and in the hope that the chick would survive despite the lack of cover."

The authority said firefighters "acted quickly" when the blaze broke out a couple of miles from Chatsworth House on 26 May.

It said the damage was contained to an area of around 29 acres, and crews took about 12 hours to put out the fire.

Sean Prendergast from the authority said: "This great story of the Curlews shows just how delicate and important these moorland habitats are, and the threat they face from fires.

"If the fire crews had started tackling the fire a few minutes later then these birds would not have survived."