Twitchers flock to see rare veery

Twitchers flock to see rare veery

Crowds of bird-watching enthusiasts are expected to flock to Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel after only the third recorded sighting in Britain of a rare North American thrush. The veery was caught in a net early yesterday by ornithologist Steve Wing, from Appledore, Devon, who was ringing birds during his holiday on the island.

Liza Cole, the island's warden, said Mr Wing's ringing of the veery was a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. The bird, which usually remains in North America, had been blown off course across the Atlantic by strong winds and ended up in a valley on the south-east of the island. The last recorded UK veery sighting was also on Lundy 10 years ago and attracted thousands of twitchers. The first recorded sighting in UK was in Cornwall in October 1970.