Do-gooders help bullied youngster

This trussed-up cygnet is on its way to the Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital near Amesbury.

I helped the vet capture the bird and wrap in a restraining blanket [another triumph for Velcro (tm) tape] on the bank of the Kennet & Avon canal in front of my house early this morning.

The smallest of the brood, it had been bullied by both siblings and parents and was an outcast from the family group. After a medical check-up a decision will be made whether to put it with a less dysfunctional foster family or return it to its original home.

Photographed here just before it was loaded into a car for the journey.