The heat wave that has swept Europe this summer may not have been very pleasant for the human population, but rare pink tropical birds at a nature reserve in southwest England sure seem excited.

Officials at Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, a wetland wildlife reserve in Gloucestershire, said in a prepared statement Thursday that six Andean flamingos laid eggs for the first time in 15 years. It happened as the sweltering temperatures – which have recently surpassed or are threatening to surpass record highs – started to remind the creatures of the hot, humid summers in their natural habitat.

The bad news?

The expectant mothers’ eggs were not fertilized – so none of them hatched.

The good news?

Wildlife officials said they replaced the eggs with viable ones from Chilean flamingos – “their near-relatives” – so that both the mother and father birds could watch the chicks hatch and then go on to raise them.

Mark Roberts, aviculture manager at Slimbridge, said it’s “enriching for the birds.”

“It’s a wonderful and welcome surprise that the Andeans have started laying again after nearly two decades,” he said in the statement. “We’ve been encouraging the flock by helping them to build nests, but there’s no doubt that the recent heat has had the desired effect.”

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