A family of rare young chicks escaped a grizzly fate when an eagle-eyed bird enthusiast prevented them from being flattened by a tractor.

Fay Broom, a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, spotted the three lapwing chicks in a field in Bury Farm, Edgware, last Monday moments before it was to be churned up and rolled by farm manager Clive Baldwin.

Mrs Broom said: "When there's danger the mother calls to them and they go flat to the ground - they would have been a lot flatter if Clive had rolled it.

"They must have been days old because they were tiny. And because they're brown, Clive said he would never have seen them from his tractor."

Although some Lapwings migrate to the UK from Europe during the winter, it is rare for them to breed here and, with numbers dwindling, they have been amber listed' by the RSPB which means they are of conservation concern.' But Mrs Broom, who monitors Bury Farm for its rich birdlife, noticed that some pairs had stayed to breed this year for the first time in 40 years.

She said: "They're a bit thin on the ground in this country because of changing farm practices and the increased use of pesticides, which kill insects that the chicks eat.

"It's wonderful to see them back. This is such a valuable site for birds."

Mrs Broom and RSPB North West Group leader Bob Husband looked after the chicks until they were reunited with their anxious parents in an adjacent field, last week .

The new arrivals are a credit to the management of the farm, which is home to dozens of privately owned horses, by Mr Baldwin and his partner Susie Lloyd.

They took over eight years ago and immediately stopped people from shooting birds on the farm, which had contributed to the dwindling numbers.

She said: "We've got all sorts of birds here since the shooting stopped. I haven't got a clue what they're called but I do love to see them."

Mr Husband added: "Clive and Susie have been great about helping the lapwings. The area holds interesting species reflecting the wildlife-friendly manner in which they manage the farm and stables.

"This is a great success story for London and for lapwings."