No-one can be sure if the hundreds of marine birds saved by Bridgette and Paula Powers thought they were seeing double when they looked up at their saviours.

But for the Powers twins, affectionately known as “The Twinnies”, it’s a case of double the effort and double the results, as these women have dedicated their lives to saving marine birds.

With a special love for all animals – they have among others a pet rat, wood duck and pelican – the 34-year-olds have dedicated the past eight years to rescuing marine birds left injured by careless fishermen.

“We just love birds and always have since the age of three,” they say.

These former zoo workers and hire boat operators have a natural affinity with the sea and the animals who call it home.

“We love birds, all kinds. They are very special,” the twins say. “Trying to nurse a very sick bird back to good health can be difficult sometimes.”

At present, the twins spend their days canvassing the local beaches and other waterways searching for injured wildlife.

Any injured birds are loaded into the back of their rescue vehicle, a converted old ambulance, and taken to the Australian Wildlife Hospital in Beerwah, Queensland, for treatment.

They often care for the birds during their rehabilitation at their own home and hope to one day set up their own clinic.

“Our goal is to get our own place and set up a small rehab for birds,” they say.

The twins cite finding enough fish to feed the birds as one of the trickiest aspects of their job.

“We just want to get the message out there that animals are being hurt and need caring people to help them. We have to learn to share this world with every living creature.”