Put out shallow bowls of cool, fresh water on Roof

The old saying is that you know it is hot when birds start falling out of the sky.

Wildlife advocate and rescuer Helen Bergen, who is co-ordinator of the Bathurst Kangaroo Project in central-west New South Wales, said the saying was true.

"Ray Mjadwesch (her partner and a wildlife ecologist) has been on survey out the back of Bourke when the heat was hitting 50 degrees, and birds were literally dropping out of the sky dead," Ms Bergen said.

With summer here and hot temperatures starting to hit, groups such as Ms Bergen's have issued a call for people to be aware of how wildlife is affected by the heat, and how humans can help.

Tips for caring for wildlife in the heat

• Put out shallow bowls of cool, fresh water and replenish them regularly
• Ensure the water is placed in shade and where wildlife is safe from predation by pets and birds of prey
• Confine pets to stop them preying on wildlife searching for water or shade
• Do not use buckets: they have smooth, slippery sides small animals cannot climb. Some may also fall in and drown if they cannot get out
• Try not to use metal containers: they heat up too quickly
• Ensure animals can escape the water container if they fall in by placing sticks or a stone in it to ensure animals have something to climb onto
• Keep away from the containers to allow wildlife to drink

Hot first day of summer

Temperatures in western New South Wales soared on Tuesday and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) recorded tops of nearly 39 degrees Celsius in Coonamble, 38 in Trangie and Dubbo, and 37 at Bourke and Cobar.

The central tablelands was cooler but also had temperatures in the low to mid 30s, including 36 at Mudgee, 33 at Bathurst and 31 for Lithgow.

The hot weather around the state included Sydney's top temperature of 40 degrees at Parramatta, while high 30s recordings also were reached on the south coast, Illawarra, north west slopes and plains, and Hunter region