Twitchers disrupt buses in quest to see rare bird

Birdwatchers flocking to a Norfolk village in hopes of spotting a rare bird have disrupted bus services.

Also known as twitchers, hundreds of enthusiasts descended on Mundesley in Norfolk at the weekend after a northern nutcracker was spotted in a garden on Friday.

Bus company Sanders Coaches said the enthusiasm led to some questionable parking which meant some bus services had to be altered.

The bird had not been seen in Norfolk since 1968 and had not been widely spotted in the UK since 1991.

Chris Stone, 44, from Wymondham in Norfolk, took up birding when he was 13 and was travelling north to see another bird when he got an alert about the nutcracker and drove back.

"From Flamborough to Mundesley is about a five-and-a-half hour drive. So time was against us, we hoped it would stay."

Stone, who also volunteers with the RSPB, said it was about the size of a crow.

"It's rare because they don't really migrate. They will move if food is low where they live in Siberia," he said.

He said there were about 150 birdwatchers from all over the country in Mundesley on Sunday.

"The last one in Norfolk was 1968... they don't normally hang around," he said.

The bird is identifiable by its predominantly chocolate brown feathers with distinct white speckled spots and patches.

A spotting by one person was recorded in Caithness in Scotland in 2021, according to Bird Guides.

Another was spotted by a few quick-moving twitchers in Kent in 1998.

In a post on social media, the coach company said: "No, we are not 'running out of excuses', thank you!"

"Due to a very disruptive slender billed nutcracker (or more so the people double parking everywhere trying to photograph it!) causing chaos in the Mundesley/Trunch area, services CH2, 34 and X55 may be subject to very short notice alterations.

"Unfortunately fitting one of our bus trackers to the bird would likely constitute a wildlife crime, so we are unable to provide any more precise updates as it stands as to where he may be perched next."

The company requested visitors be mindful of parking and the need for emergency services to be able to pass.

Stone said "there was a bit of clogging up down the lanes" despite designated parking being assigned at the local church.

A Norfolk Police spokesperson said they had received several calls about parking on Trunch Road and Water Lane in Mundesley.

"Officers have attended the area and placed cones to help manage parking, and will continue to review the situation through regular patrols," they said.

"Given the roads are relatively narrow, we would ask motorists to park safely and considerately, while being respectful of local residents, private property and property boundaries at all times."

Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.