Twitchers flock to quarry to see rare Eastern Crowned Warbler

Dougie Holden described feeling like he had won the ornithological equivalent of the World Cup after spotting a possible first-time visitor to these shores.

Word quickly spread among fellow bird-watchers, who flew to Trow Quarry in South Tyneside, in droves to catch a glimpse of the Eastern Crowned Warbler.

It was the first time the species, usually found in east and south Asia, has been photographed in Britain.

The 47-year-old father-of-two spent his 26th wedding anniversary at the South Shields quarry, on Thursday, hoping to catch sight of a Yellow Browed Warbler, which sometimes visit in autumn.

He was delighted on capturing what he thought was a "yellow" nesting in trees, but stunned when his subject was confirmed as an Eastern Crowned Warbler.

It caused an immediate flap as hundreds of twitchers flocked to the quarry with binoculars and cameras hoping to catch sight of the warbler.

Mr Holden said: "I couldn't believe it. I've been interested in birds since I was a small boy and this really is the absolute ultimate.

"In the bird-watching world, it's the equivalent of winning the World Cup."

Although there have been four European sightings of the bird since 1843, this is a first for the UK.

Mr Holden, who was with fellow watcher Derek Bilton, thinks strong winds blew the insect-eating bird off course, leading to its unscheduled landing in South Shields.

Richard Millington, the voice of Birding World magazine's Birdline Information Service, travelled northwards overnight from Norfolk.

He said: "This is such a rare sighting for Britain and it's causing an awful lot of excitement from twitchers.

"Occasions like this will happen maybe half a dozen time a year, so it's very rare for so many people to gather in one place.

"We've got people flying in from as far afield as the Isle of Scilly."

Bird-watchers planning to visit the quarry were asked to tread quietly and carefully.