Crowds of birdwatchers have continued to flock to a quiet cul-de-sac for a second day after a rare sighting of a species perched on a garden washing line. The report of the scarlet tanager in Shelf, near Halifax, is believed to be the first time one of the birds has been sighted in Yorkshire.
The stocky songbird normally travels between the eastern United States and lowland South American forests twice a year. But The rare scarlet tanager appears to have been blown off course to the quiet street Yorkshire, attracting dozens of birdwatchers from across the UK.
Dozens of birdwatchers assembled along the street after initial reports that the bird had been sighted were shared online and on social media. On Tuesday, the road continued to be packed with crowds pointing cameras and binoculars towards a particular suburban garden. One birdwatcher, who made the journey from London, described the spotting as “exhilarating”. Another one, Luke Nash, who made the trip from Durham, told the BBC: “I was a bit suspicious when I heard it was here. I was dawdling and playing with my camera, looking at my phone and then someone shouted it was coming in and then the camera came out of the bag and the binoculars were up.”
Why the Scarlet Tanager is a Big Deal
The scarlet tanager is a medium-sized American songbird that is part of the cardinal family. It lives in woodlands and suburbs, normally along the east coast of the United States between Florida and Mexico. The sighting was believed to be the first in Yorkshire. “Never before seen in Yorkshire, the first-winter male scarlet tanager is just the eighth British record and the first since 2014,” it said. According to Cornell University’s All About Birds website, the male breeding birds have a bright red body and black wings and tails, while females and juvenile birds have a yellowish-green body. It is usually the duller yellowish birds which are spotted in the UK, having been swept off course by storms as they migrate south in the autumn, the website said.
The Birdwatching Frenzy
Geoffrey King, who has been birdwatching for 15 years, made the 220-mile (354km) trip north from Weybridge in Surrey to West Yorkshire in the early hours of Monday. He arrived on scene at 09:30 GMT but it was a further five hours before a hushed murmur rippled through the crowd, signalling the bird had become visible. “It was very exhilarating,” he said. Mr King, 67, had been packing up his tripod and was ready to book a hotel when he saw the bird. “I had basically given up. Somebody called and there it was at the top of the tree! It was a great relief to see it,” he enthused. The scarlet tanager was Mr King's 478th species spotted in the UK, he added.
Another avian aficionado, who gave his details simply as Paul from London, said it had been an early start to get to the site in good time. “I got up at five o’clock this morning and was on the road for 05:30,” the 61-year-old said. “The older I get, the more it blows my mind that something the size of a sparrow can fly across the ocean, 3,000 miles (4,828km), to get here. It’s extraordinary.” He said it had been his first sighting of the species in nearly five decades of birdwatching.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, the scarlet tanager’s song is often described as “like a robin with a cold”. Also hoping to hear it among the assembled twitchers was Luke Nash, who made the trip from Durham. “I saw it online last night and headed straight down,” the 22-year-old said. “This is absolutely unprecedented. The last sighting was something like 10 years ago. I was a bit suspicious when I heard it was here. I was dawdling and playing with my camera, looking at my phone and then someone shouted it was coming in and then the camera came out of the bag and the binoculars were up.” The scarlet tanager is Mr Nash’s 435th species spotted in Britain.
A Local's Perspective
One man among the throng had travelled a little less far than other enthusiasts - he had journeyed from a few hundred metres away in the village. The temporary twitcher had been walking his dog when he spotted the crowds and decided to join them, declaring that he would be “chuffed to bits” to see the American visitor.
Unprecedented Sighting and Potential Causes
Another birdwatcher, Matt O’Sullivan, said the scarlet tanager’s appearance was the first recorded on the UK mainland, as other sightings had been on “remote” islands. He added: “This bird will have been born late spring or early summer in the eastern United States or Canada and has somehow found its way all the way to West Yorkshire. Most likely it was carried across the Atlantic by a low pressure system and has been here ever since. Typically this species winters in Central America, migrating across the Gulf of Mexico or through Florida. There have only been 13 previous records of this species in the UK and Ireland but they have almost always been on remote islands so this is essentially the first bird that everyday folk can go and see - hence the massive crowd.”
A Rare Opportunity
Website Bird Guides said on X that the sighting was believed to be the first in Yorkshire. “Never before seen in Yorkshire, the first-winter male scarlet tanager is just the eighth British record and the first since 2014,” it said. The birds have thick, rounded bills for catching insects and eating fruit. They usually migrate to northwestern South America for the winter.
Local resident Oliver Padgett was charging people £10 for access to a better vantage point in his garden, with the proceeds going to charity. He said: “We thought we’d get a bucket out because there’s so many people out. Let’s hope it sticks around for a week and we might get even more donations.”
The rare sighting of the scarlet tanager has not only brought excitement to birdwatchers but also highlighted the importance of preserving and protecting biodiversity. As the bird's journey across the Atlantic demonstrates, nature has a way of surprising us with unexpected wonders. The next time you see a bird, remember that it might be a traveler from a distant land, with a story to tell.
