THE recent cold weather has got birdwatchers twitching with excitement at a North-East nature reserve.
The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust site, at Washington, Tyne and Wear, has produced some surprises during the past few weeks.
A treat arrived two days ago in the form of a north American bird, the ring-necked duck. The visitor, which was making its first stop at Washington, was the 199th recorded species at the site.
This followed a visit from a snew on New Year's Eve. These scarce visitors get pushed into the UK when their traditional wintering area, the Baltic Sea, freezes over. The last to drop in on Washington was in 1988.
Just before Christmas, a red-throated diver spent four days on the River Wear, near the visitor centre. Normally a coastal bird, the last one recorded at the reserve was in 1996.
Other birds turning up at the site because of the cold spell included up to 80 siskin and a number of yellowhammers
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article