First ever Red-wing Blackbird seen in England

                                                                                                       Photo by BarrytheBirder

Female Red-winged Blackbird crosses the Atlantic

A single female Red-winged Blackbird is causing a sensation among birdwatchers in Britain and in Europe.   It has appeared on a remote island in the Orkney Islands.   Experts think the vagrant blackbird may have hitchhiked from its normal habitat in North America aboard a transatlantic boat and was first seen one week ago by Simon Davies, principal assistant warden of the Ronaldsay Bird Reserve.   Several hundreds of birders have already seen the bird and added it to their life-lists.   The Red-winged Blackbird follows shortly after a Hermit Thrush sighting in Shetland.   It is also possible that both birds were caught in a storm, hit the jet stream and bailed out at the European coast.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder