It is
only the second time it has been seen here - the first sighting in Britain was
in Anglesey in 2001, according to the British Birds Rarities Committee
By
John Bett
10:57, 18
OCT 2018
Hundreds
of twitchers have flocked to Cornwall to
catch a glimpse of a rare bird from America spotted in the UK.
A large
crowd gathered to see the grey catbird after it was seen flitting in Treeve
Moor near Land's End in Cornwall.
The bird,
which is about 20cm (7.8in) long and grey in colour, is named because of its
distinctive "meowing" sound.
It is
only the second time it has been seen here - the first sighting in Britain was
in Anglesey in 2001, according to the British Birds Rarities Committee.
Mark
Grantham, chairman of the Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society, said
he thought the bird, which was first seen on Monday, had been brought across
the Atlantic on low pressure systems following the recent US storms.
He said:
"Birds heading south get carried out to sea on weather systems and then
can follow the Gulf Stream before making landfall at the first
opportunity."
News of
the grey catbird spread on Twitter, and birdwatchers started arriving, with a
local farmer opening a field for parking, taking charity donations in return.
Mr
Grantham added: "Cornwall is used to seeing its fair share of rare birds,
but American birds certainly provide extra excitement.
"To
see [the grey catbird] flitting along a Cornish hedge is always going to be
extra special."
The
sightings have been greeted with some excitement.
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