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Birders wade through sea in search of rare bird

Jonathan Farooqi BirdJonathan Farooqi
The Blackburnian Warbler has attracted bird watchers from far and wide

Bird watchers have been wading in the sea up to their waists in a bid to see a rare bird.

Hundreds of people have travelled to Bryher in the Isles of Scilly in the hope of seeing the Blackburnian Warbler.

It is the first time the US native bird has been seen in England.

Lucy McRobert, from the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust, said: "To say we are excited is an understatement. This bird will go down in history."

She said: "To have a Blackburnian Warbler on the islands has got everyone hopping from foot to foot.

The Birding Doctor Crowd lookingThe Birding Doctor
Hundreds of people gathered to try to get a glimpse of the warbler

"About 300 people came yesterday with hundreds more expected today and more over the weekend."

The British Trust for Ornithology confirmed this is the first time the species has ever been spotted in England, and the fourth time in the UK.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust Jaclyn Pearson and Jeff NottCornwall Wildlife Trust
Jaclyn Pearson and Jeff Knott were among the excited bird watchers

The previous records were on St Kilda in 2009, Fair Isle in 1988 and Skomer in 1961.

Ms McRobert said: "There is a great sense of adventure.

Marc Read BirdMarc Read
The bird is a young male

"Bryher is quite inaccessible at low tide and we have really low tides at the moment so people have been getting on shore anyway they can, landing on beaches, using inflatables, wading in up to their waist and running around the island dripping wet trying to get to the bird.

Bryher
Bryher is one of five inhabited islands in the Isles of Scilly and has a population of about 87

"It is a sexy bird. They are called new world warblers and are beautiful. There is nothing comparable in Europe."

Bird watchers have travelled from as far as Shetland and Holland to catch a glimpse.

Kris Webb Blackburnian WarblerKris Webb
The bird is native to the eastern side of north America

The young male was first seen on Thursday and has been seen on Friday morning.

Jaclyn Pearson said she moved to Scilly 12 years ago after reading books by Bill Oddie about bird watching: "This is the first time I have been reminded of those books. I was stood there thinking, 'this is pretty special'.

"Everyone was really respectful which is really nice."

The bird is native to eastern North America and is thought to have been migrating to South America when it got caught in a storm.

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