Hundreds of birdwatchers descended on Mundesley in Norfolk over the weekend, causing traffic disruption as they sought a glimpse of a Northern Nutcracker not seen in the county for almost 60 years.
The rare visitor was reported in a garden, prompting enthusiasts known as twitchers to travel to the village in large numbers. Locals said nearby hotels had been booked out and roads were “crammed with cars” as crowds gathered.
About the size of a crow, the Northern Nutcracker has dark chocolate-brown plumage marked with white spots and a large black bill. It uses the bill to break open pine cones and bury seeds.
The species is native to Siberian forests and is only rarely seen in Britain. It can travel about 3,500 miles when food becomes scarce in its usual range.
Chris Stone, 44, from Wymondham in Norfolk, said one had not been recorded in the area for nearly six decades.
“It’s rare because they don’t really migrate. They will move if food is low where they live in Siberia,” he said.
Josh Jones, of Bird Guides, said Northern Nutcrackers had been seen elsewhere in western Europe and that it was “only a matter of time” before one reached the UK.
“The northern nutcracker is a very rare visitor to Britain, primarily because we are so far from the bird’s native range and because these unexpected movements, or irruptions as they are known, are infrequent,” he said.
Britain experienced a major irruption of the species in 1968, when 315 Northern Nutcrackers were recorded. Another influx took place in 1991.
Individual sightings followed in Kent in 1998, when the bird was seen by only a few twitchers before moving on, and in Caithness, Scotland, in 2021.
