A NEW star has arrived in style on the Suffolk
coast – and it has persuaded birdwatchers to spread their wings and visit
Aldeburgh from many parts of the country.
First discovered earlier
this month, the Hornemann’s Arctic redpoll has been attracting hundreds of
twitchers to the town’s beach. The lone bird is from the circumpolar taiga zone
of the far north. On the rare occasions it strays south to Britain it is more
often than not to the northern isles, especially the Shetlands.
The Aldeburgh wanderer is the first of its kind
to be seen in Suffolk and is so tame that it has proved easy for visitors to
capture some fantastic photographs – as seen here, submitted by our iwitness24
contributors.
Steve Piotrowski, author of The Birds of
Suffolk and ornithological consultant to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, said
that up until the last few days 2012 had been a disappointing year for the
county’s twitching scene but there was now a real buzz in the air – and online
in the birdwatching forums – thanks to the Hornemann’s Arctic redpoll.
The redpoll’s arrival comes after a Spanish
sparrow – another county ‘first’ – was found in September at Landguard nature
reserve, near Felixstowe, and has proved a timely end-of-year boost to fans of
feathered friends.
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