When a bird that is rarely seen in the UK is spotted, it can spark a stampede of twitchers desperate to try and catch a glimpse. So when astronomers Kris and Les Fry spotted something different in their garden, they suddenly found themselves with plenty of company.
The pair couldn't believe it when an exotic looking hoopoe, which is a pinkish-brown colour with striking black and white wings and does not breed in the UK, turned up in the front garden of their home in Trawscoed, Aberystwyth, on Saturday morning (April 29).
Only around 100 are normally spotted in the UK in spring when the birds, who are migrating north to Europe from Africa, overshoot and end up here instead. They are normally only seen on the south coast of England. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: Massive poo problem forces closure of dam with stunning Welsh views
Kris said: "It was around 10.30am and I went out to the garage and saw a black and white rumped bird fly off from our front garden and initially I thought it was a Jay after the young birds which we have fledging around our garden.
"I went back out at 11am and saw it again sitting in the garden and as I stopped it raised it's plume when it spotted me and then flew off over the hedge. I'd never seen one in the feather before but I knew I'd seen images of such a foreign bird but didn't know the name, so I rushed back in, got the camera ready, and looked up the identification in a bird book, while my father Ron kept an eye out for it."
Not long after, the bird returned to the garden and Kris posted the sighting on the Ceredigion Birds & Wildlife Facebook page to notify others.
"I had many ask if they could come to observe her and made their day by letting them safely observe from indoors so as not to disturb her," said Kris. "She flew off just before the first visitors arrived, but while chatting on the drive I saw her fly past and go around to the back garden, so we went indoors to get a closer view and observe without disturbing her.
"For those visiting, it was their first time to see one too, so many had a big tick on their bucket lists! Local Aberystwyth birder Chris, with an apt surname of Bird, thought it was a female and said I had made his year for letting him into our home to see her so close."
Kris said the bird fed on grubs, ants and worms during the afternoon, before preening itself in a sparrow's dust bowl, but flew off in the evening and hadn't been seen since.
The RSPB said that most hoopoes turned up in late April and May in the UK, but they were normally only found on the south coast of England.
The charity's website says: "The hoopoe is an exotic looking bird that is the size of a mistle thrush. It has a pinkish-brown body, striking black and white wings, a long black downcurved bill, and a long pinkish-brown crest which it raises when excited."
Check the weather for your area:
Read next:
