When it's hot and humid, birds and other animals are just as desperate as we are to drink some water, but some places can be extremely dangerous for birds.
If they're tired, injured or sick or don’t have the necessary skills to perch and drink, they can fall in the water and drown.
The Conselleria de Medi Ambient i Territori says building ramps or floating platforms out of recycled materials and installing them at water storage points on farms could save the lives of numerous birds in the Balearic Islands.
If a bird falls into the water and it’s not possible to rescue it, the best option is to call the Conselleria de Medi Ambient or the Consorci de Recuperació de Fauna, or Cofib, who will deploy people to help.
If the bird is already dead, a necropsy will also be done by Cofib, to determine whether the bird died from wounds or poisoning before it fell in the water.
If you'd like to build a floating platform you will need: 2 wooden pallets, 1 polystyrene plate, 1 piece of metal mesh and 1 small branch.
Put the polystyrene inside one of the pallets so that it floats and cover all the grooves with the wood from the second pallet.
Place the metal mesh on one side of the platform so that birds can perch on it. The bird will also be able to perch and dry off on the branch that's nailed to the centre of the pallet.