As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Monday 13 May 2019

Why a rare owl sparked a news blackout


By Huw WilliamsBBC Scotland reporter
12 March 2019
When a rare Tengmalm's Owl turned up in Orkney last November, it was decided to "suppress" news of its exact location.
The bird, which had only been seen in Britain a handful of times, had been spotted on the island of Copinsay.
The presence of such a rare visitor would normally attract hundreds of birdwatchers desperate to see it for themselves.
But the exact location remained a tightly guarded secret, with only three people aware that it had taken up temporary residence in an outside toilet at the island's lighthouse.
The secrecy was because of Copinsay's role as an important seal breeding ground.
However, rumours of the owl's visit had begun to circulate, and the Scottish Birds magazine has now revealed the lengths gone to by some people in an attempt to get around the news blackout.
They included inventing a falconer who had supposedly lost a Tengmalm's Owl.
Martin Gray, who wrote the article with Alan Leitch from the RSPB, told BBC Radio Orkney: "It's an extremely rare bird. It's only occurred in Britain a handful of times.
"The last record that was widely available to the general public was in 1980.
"So there's been almost two generations of twitchers who've not had the chance to see one."


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