GPS_Flex
DP Veteran
- Joined
- May 20, 2005
- Messages
- 2,726
- Reaction score
- 648
- Location
- California
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Scores of twitchers flocked to the Outer Hebrides to see a bird that has been recorded just eight times previously in the UK in nearly 170 years - only to see it slain by a wind turbine.
I wonder how many "twitchers" were suddenly conflicted about windmill farms as they watched this rare and magnificent bird senselessly killed.
The White-throated Needletail - the world's fastest flying bird - was thousands of miles off course after turning up at Tarbert on the Isle of Harris.
It was first seen by two bird spotters from Northumberland on Monday.
There has not been a sighting of the species in Britain since 1991 when a single bird was seen four times - in Kent, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and finally Shetland.
Now 22 years later another White-throated Needletail turned up in the UK, but after more than 80 twitchers flocked to Harris - with scores more on their way - the bird flew into a wind turbine at Tarbert, witnessed by around 40 people.
Josh Jones of Bird Guides said: "It was seen by birders fly straight into the turbine. It is ironic that after waiting so long for this bird to turn up in the UK, it was killed by a wind turbine and not a natural predator.
Twitchers flocking to see rare bird saw it killed by wind turbine