Bird watchers out in force for rare northern waterthrush spotted in Essex garden

ANGLIA 050124 northern waterthrush snapped by nick bristow Nick Bristow
The northern waterthrush captured on camera in Heybridge near Maldon. Credit: Nick Bristow

Bird-lovers have been flocking to a village in Essex after a rare visitor from the other side of the Atlantic was spotted.

The northern waterthrush was seen at Heybridge near Maldon on Wednesday afternoon.

It is usually found in North America and the West Indies and according to one birdwatcher there had only been 10 previous sightings in the UK.

Brian Bolton said the bird was seen in a local birdwatcher's garden and seemed to be flitting between there and a creek near his house.

Mr Bolton said a group of between 20 and 30 birdwatchers had already gathered to try to spot it.

He said: "I did see it early this morning on my way to work which luckily for me is in Heybridge."

Factfile: Northern waterthrush

  • Extremely rare visitor to UK

  • Likes to be on the ground near streams

  • Is not a thrush but from the family of American warblers

  • First recorded in the Isles of Scilly 1958

Source: British Trust for Ornithology

Mr Bolton said the species should be wintering in central America but that it probably got blown across the Atlantic during Storm Lee in September, which carried at least 20 other American birds over here.

He added: "It's very hard to say why it hasn't been seen prior to this but they can be very skulky birds and may have just been overlooked."

  • Have you seen the northern waterthrush in Essex? Email anglianews@itv.com

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