Twitchers flock to see rare bird by Jonny Stockdale

stocky · 28th January 2007, 13:50

twitchers flock to see rare bird
by jonny stockdale

Birdwatchers gathered in Gilstead to see the rare American visitor
Birdwatchers from around the country gathered near Gilstead at the weekend to get a first sighting of a species rarely seen in the UK.

Up to 50 twitchers, armed with long lens cameras and binoculars, flocked to a grassy hill behind Primrose Lane and Cornwall Road to try to see an American Robin.

The bird, which is believed to have never been seen before in Yorkshire, is similar to a song thrush and has a dark head and a red belly, hence the link to a robin.

Mike Malpass, 59, was among those who waited patiently on Saturday to get the all important shot. He said he waited for three hours before the bird made an appearance.

He said: "We were all stood in a line and it popped its head out of a twiggy bush, it flew down and perched on a lump of ground and we all quickly took a photograph."

Darren Ward, 41, of Leeds, said that the bird could have been in the area for a few weeks, but the "twitcher alarm" was raised on Wednesday night.

Advertisement continued...Mr Ward said: "I think it's a Yorkshire first. It is a very rare bird, it is the only one in the country right now."

Many birdwatchers use paid-for paging services such as Bird Net or Rare Bird Alert to tell them when and where a rare breed spotted has been spotted.

The American Robin
To catch the sighting of the American Robin, people travelled from as far away as Buckinghamshire.

Peter Greaves, 51, of Doncaster has been birdwatching for 30 years, and this is the first time he has come to the Bradford area to spot a rare bird.

He said: "Seeing this bird here was a real treat. I've travelled up to Scotland to get a glimpse of the American Robin. I really can't believe there was one here so close to home."

It was the first time Tracy Ward, 36, had seen one.

She said: "It was brilliant to get such a good view of it. It was really worth the wait."

Jane Malpass, 56, a birdwatcher, of Bury, Lanchashire, explained how the bird got its name: She said: "When settlers first arrived in the US they saw this bird, which is just a garden bird there, and they thought it looked like a robin, and the name stuck."

Coincidentally, the rare sighting comes in the same week as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds holds its Big Garden Birdwatch, which is the world's biggest bird survey.