Hundreds of Bird Photographers Gather for Rare American Warbler

A lesser-spotted American yellow warbler visiting a sleepy village in England has prompted hundreds of nature photographers and bird watchers to turn out in the hope of catching a glimpse of the tiny yellow bird.

The American yellow warbler hasn’t been seen in the U.K. since 2017. Its presence in the village of New Hythe, Kent motivated bird enthusiasts from all over the British Isles to travel to the area southeast of London.

One photographer who got an image of the warbler tells the Daily Mail that hundreds of people came to to see the bird.

“We were 15 minutes away and out visiting friends when the news broke,” says Neil Colgate. “We nipped home and went down there. It was right place, right time for a change. It’s really really rare. People came from Yorkshire to see it. It has drawn a big crowd.”

Colgate adds that even though he was early arriving, there were already about “60 or 70” people in New Hythe.

“But on Christmas Day there were three or four hundred people there, I’ve been told,” Colgate tells the Mail. “It wasn’t seen yesterday [December 26] but it could be hunkering down in the cold weather.”

The bird is believed to be an infant male and may have flown from North America assisted by stormy winds that have battered the U.K. in recent weeks. The British Trust for Ornithology describes the warbler as “an extremely rare visitor to Britain and Ireland.”

Image credits: Header image by Mdf/Wikipedia Commons and @LeeEvansBirding