Park welcomes in Cornish choughs

They hope eventually to be able to release the choughs

The first eggs have hatched as part of a bird sanctuary's breeding project to return Cornish choughs to the wild.

Paradise Park in Hayle is watching over eggs laid by three pairs of choughs - the county's national symbol.

Two babies have hatched and 11 eggs are still being incubated - the most ever to have been laid there.

The sanctuary is asking people to collect wild bugs such as woodlice, earwigs and small spiders to feed the new arrivals.

The park said the breeding success of the choughs was mainly down to a new method of feeding the young birds "wild-caught" food.

BUGS WANTED Ants and ants' nests Woodlice, earwigs Beetles, centipedes Small spiders, millipedes

The chough, a member of the crow family, has distinctive red legs and a long red bill.

In the 19th Century, there were more than 100 pairs in the county but the bird vanished after its food source dried up because of a decline in cliff top grazing and the use of pesticides.

The wild food the birds at the park are fed is very close to the food choughs would find for themselves on the coast.

BUGS NOT WANTED Slugs, snails, worms Caterpillars, butterflies, moths Bees, wasps

The park's Nick Reynolds said they did buy bugs for the birds but wild bugs like woodlice and ants were better.

"We can buy food in for them but it's not quite as good," he said.

"Now we need the public's help to collect things like woodlice, ants, millipedes and centipedes."

They hope eventually to be able to release the choughs.