Birdwatchers have been flocking to a reservoir
in Berkshire to catch a glimpse of a rare American bird which has accidentally
migrated to the UK.
Almost one thousand people have travelled to
Queen Mother Reservoir to see the American Buff-Bellied Pipit.
Less than 20 of the species - which normally
migrate from North to South America for the winter - have ever been spotted in
the UK.
Ornithologist Paul Stancliffe called it a
"tremendous specimen".
Rare visits
This rare UK visitor is part of the Motacillidae
family of pipits and wagtails. Members common to the UK include the meadow
pipit, pied wagtail and grey wagtail. Other recent rare visitors have included a bee-eater in
Sunderland and a desert
wheatear which migrated to an Essex sandpit.
Mr Stancliffe, who is from the British Trust for
Ornithology, added: "It's incredibly rare. In birding terms it's 'mega',
and that doesn't mean literally - it's the size of a robin - but in terms of
its presence.
"It's phenomenal and you forget it's
crossed the Atlantic, and breeds in North America, but this small bird has
survived that crossing and found somewhere to its liking.
"It's been caught up in one of the pulsing
transatlantic storms and probably arrived here in a couple of days."
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