Rare Asian Desert Warbler seen in Winterton in Norfolk

Birdwatchers gathered in Winterton over the weekend to catch a precious glimpse of the Asian Desert Warbler.

The small bird is a native of the deserts and steppes of central and western Asia and the extreme east of Europe. In winter it migrates to similar habitats in southwestern Asia and the far northeast of Africa. 

But on Saturday, October 5, the bird was spotted among the bushes in the Winterton dunes.

The Asian Desert Warbler is an extremely rare visitor to the UK. (Image: Nick Clayton) READ MORE: Australian Eastern Rosella parrot spotted in Norfolk Broads

It is only the 14th time it has ever been seen in the UK - with half of those sightings dating from a giddy five-year spell in the late 80s and early 90s. 

Over the last three decades it has been sighted only three times: on Holy Island in Northumberland in 2020, in Kent in 2012 and in East Yorkshire in 2000.

Nick Clayton, 59, who lives in Little Plumstead, was one of the lucky birdwatchers who saw the special visitor on Sunday, October 6.

He said: "There was a big crowd of people there. It was really good. The bird was deep in the bush but it was showing constantly."

A crowd of birdwatchers gathers in the Winterton Dunes to catch sight of the Asian Desert Warbler. (Image: Nick Clayton) READ MORE: Norfolk Wildlife Trust celebrates spoonbill breeding on Broads

The Asian Desert Warbler wears sandy pale grey-brown feathers, ideal for camouflage in its native habitat where it skulks among short trees and shrubbery. Its beaks and legs are yellowish and its eyes have a yellow iris.

The bird that attracted twitchers to Winterton was found on October 5 by an amateur birdwatcher who didn’t know what he had found.

An Asian Desert Warbler at the Winterton Dunes on October 6. (Image: Nick Clayton)

READ MORE: Hundreds flock to see exotic birds in Yarmouth bushes

He sent a photo to one of the local guides, an expert on rare birds, who recognised it as an Asian Desert Warbler 

The bird likely ended up in Norfolk after a strong easterly wind blew it off course while it was migrating from Europe to Africa. 

Mr Clayton said the visitor had gone by Tuesday morning, October 8.

Birdwatchers at the Winterton Dunes in Norfolk. (Image: Nick Clayton)

FIVE OTHER RARE BIRDS THAT HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN NORFOLK

Rufous Bush Chat

This small bird caused a commotion when it appeared at Stiffkey Marshes near Wells in October 2020, with more than 100 bird watchers racing to the area.

The bird received so much attention that police were forced to warn the public that travelling to see it would breach coronavirus regulations in place at the time.

White Blackbird

An albino blackbird spotted in Horsham St Faith in May 2020. (Image: Natasha Covell) This unusual bird was spotted perched on a drainpipe at St Edmund's Church on Fishergate in Norwich by a mother of five who was out for a walk with her children during February 2021.

It gets its white colour because of a condition called partial albinism which is usually inherited but can be caused by other factors.

White-Tailed Sea Eagle

This bird has been spotted a number of times as it swoops over the Norfolk coast.

It was originally thought to be extinct 240 years ago - but in November 2020 it was spotted over Lakenheath, Cley and parts of Cambridgeshire.

Hoopoe

A hoopoe photographed in Wells, North Norfolk by Brad Damms. (Image: Brad Damms) This exotic-looking creature, which is about the size of a mistle thrush, can turn up, often as single birds, when overshooting while migrating north to Europe from Africa.

One was spotted in a garden in Bridgham in May this year.

Bee-eaters

Pictures by Rob Holmes convey what he describes as a 'splash of Mediterranean avian exotica' that bee-eaters brought to Great Yarmouth in June 2021.. (Image: Rob Holmes)

In June 2021, the largest-ever flock of colourful bee-eaters to be seen in Norfolk was spotted on land behind TK Maxx on the Gapton Hall Retail Park in Great Yarmouth.

Bee-eaters winter in Africa and are normally found nesting in southern Europe. It is rare for them to breed in the UK.