It is only the second time the white-throated needletail has been seen in Yorkshire since 1985
A white-throated needletail has been spotted in East Yorkshire, marking just the first sighting in England since 1991. This is only the second time the species has been seen in Yorkshire, with the previous sighting near Ferrybridge in 1985.
Native to eastern Asia and Australia, it is a relative of the UK’s native swift species, thousands of which feed on insects over the reservoirs at Tophill Low nature reserve each year.
Richard Hampshire, lead nature reserve advisor, said: “The bird was first spotted by reserve visitors Mandy Gregory and Ray Maddison yesterday afternoon (October 8), who at first were unsure of what it was, with its long saber-shaped wings and bullet-shaped body. They brought the images to me in the warden base and we quickly realised it was a very special and rare visitor for the UK.
“We got the news out on social media and became inundated with messages and calls. We had about 50 people turn up to the reserve within the hour.
“It’s probably the second rarest bird to appear in 60 years at Tophilll Low after 2008’s Amur falcon which, at the time, was considered a first for Britain. Last year we also saw a pair of rare blue-winged teal, which are native to North America.”
The bird was also seen at RSPB Bempton Cliffs on Wednesday evening (October 8), where hundreds gathered to catch a glimpse of the rare avian visitor.
Tophill Low, near Driffield, has served as a nature reserve for 30 years and is a habitat for otters, barn owls, kingfishers and grass snakes. Thousands of hours of volunteer work, backed by Yorkshire Water, have resulted in numerous conservation triumphs including breeding otters, nesting cetti’s warblers, a flourishing heronry, booming bitterns and possibly the UK’s strongest population of greater water parsnip.
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