For many Maritimers, the arrival of spring means it’s time to fix up around the house, with gardening, home renovations and spring cleaning. But spring is also a busy time for Mother Nature, with plenty of baby animals on the way.

Those two signs of the season collided this week for Bedford, N.S. homeowner Corrine MacLellan, as she was able to save abandoned baby birds, thanks to the quick thinking of some kind-hearted roofers.

It all started when MacLellan heard the loud cry of baby birds somewhere in her Bedford yard.

MacLellan says the birds were so loud, she could hear them inside her house.

"We just thought Mom had gone away for a little bit. Unfortunately the crying continued and it continued for two days," says MacLellan.

MacLellan needed to do something, and she found help right at home. Workers with a local company happened to be re-shingling her roof, and jumped into action to help save the birds.

"I assumed because all of the commotion around, the mom didn't feel safe, abandoned the area. The truck constantly here with the noise, momma didn't feel safe," says roofer Lochlan MacNeil.

Luckily the roofers had all the tools they needed to help, including a very tall ladder.

"At first we thought they were on the top of the tree, or the side of the tree, and then eventually I realized that they were in the middle of the tree at the front. So I just kind of poked around out there and saw one of their beaks poke out," says roofer Doug Clay.

"They were really dehydrated, so I took a dropped with some water and fed them," explains MacLellan.

Then she put the birds, nest and all, in a bowl with some towels, and carefully transported it to well-known animal rescue ‘Hope for Wildlife’.

One of the baby birds died on the way, but the other hung on.

Workers at Hope for Wildlife say the baby bird is a song sparrow, about three weeks old, and should make a full recovery.

"Feels great, I hope he's doing great," says MacNeil.

Hope for Wildlife founder Hope Swinimer says MacLellan and the roofers did the right thing.

"She reacted quickly, noticed there were no parents flying in to feed these babies, so obviously something had happened," says Swinimer.

The rescued baby bird is now sharing a cage with other rescued birds of similar ages and species. Swinimer says Thursday alone, the rehab centre received 43 baby birds.

The rescued baby birds will be monitored and released back into the wild in about three weeks.

"I think the stars aligned in terms of the fact that we never would have had a ladder that high, we'd never have a crew of people that were able to help," says MacLellan.

"Yeah, roofers to the rescue!" adds Clay.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Heidi Petracek.