When you wake up in the morning the last thing you expect to find on your doorstep is a puffin.
But that was exactly what faced Heybridge's answer to Dr Doolittle when all she was expecting to find was a bottle of milk.
A bird in the hand - Poppy the Puffin now being looked after by Laura Brighton at the Wildthings rescue centre, Heybridge Picture: STEVE BAINBRIDGE
Laura Brighton, who runs Wildthings rescue centre in Heybridge, never quite knows what will turn up next.
But on this particular morning she opened the front door to find a fishing box with nothing to indicate who had left it, just a fluffy puffin huddled up inside.
"Every morning you get up and think 'what's going to be on my doorstep today?' but you can never quite prepare yourself for this," she said.
For the last few days she has been reading up on the small birds and has discovered that her little chap, now named Poppy, is probably about a year old.
A spokesman for the RSPB said "It's quite likely it's been blown round the coastline into Essex because of the windy weather. It's probably in a fairly poor state and this is a critical time for it."
At the moment, animal crazy Mrs Brighton is caring for more than 30 different animals ranging from hedgehogs to crows.
Once Poppy is fit enough to be freed Mrs Brighton is being advised to put it back in the sea off the East Anglia coastline so it can find its way back to the colony.
Anyone with expert knowledge about puffins is asked to contact Mrs Brighton on 01621 840489
Published Wednesday, February 5, 2003
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