Birdwatchers flock to Orkney to catch glimpse of American blackbird
by Alexandra Topping from Environment | The Guardian on (#2MZQQ)
Twitchers charter planes to North Ronaldsay island hoping to spot first red-winged blackbird ever recorded in Europe
It is a small brown bird with no ostentatious marking and unremarkable to the untrained eye. But a single female American blackbird spotted on a remote island in the Orkneys has prompted birdwatchers to charter planes, drive through the night and catch ferries to in the hope of catching a glimpse of it.
More than 15 planes have landed on North Ronaldsay in the past two days, and dozens of birdwatchers have arrived by boat, since news spread that the first red-winged blackbird ever spotted in Britain - and indeed in Europe - had landed on this distant Scottish outpost.