Visitors flock to East Yorkshire lake to see rare bird
James Lowen WildlifeHundreds of birdwatchers have arrived on the East Yorkshire coast in the hope of catching a glimpse of an extremely rare bird.
The white-rumped swift was spotted on Sunday evening at Hornsea Mere.
Native to Africa, it is the first ever recorded sighting of the bird in the UK, according to the Rare Bird Alert website.
Enthusiasts arriving in the resort have been left disappointed as the bird has not been seen since Sunday.
The woman who first saw the bird said it was a "really exciting" discovery.
Lesley Ball spotted the swift from her home overlooking the lake.
"I contacted my birdwatching colleagues," she said.
"They came and confirmed that it was a pacific swift at first, for a few minutes, then it was confirmed as a white-rumped swift and that was a first for Britain."
One birdwatcher said there was a row of parked cars "a good half mile" long by the road next to the lake on Monday morning.
"I've spoken to people from various parts of the country," he said.
"There's a chap here from Norfolk, there was chap down there from Essex another one from Stoke-on-Trent, another one from Nottingham, from all over."