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In super condition - the rare black-throated thrush enjoying life at the institute
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WHAT'S not to like about Grimsby?
That seems to be the view of this rare black-throated thrush which, as of this weekend, is still in town six weeks after it was first spotted.
Its preferred habitat - at least up to noon each day - remains the grassland at the front of Grimsby Institute where it is finding plenty to eat in the way of worms, insects and probably some seeds from the sycamores and other trees that are also a feature of the site.
When not on the ground, it spends long periods preening or surveying its surroundings from the branches of the trees.
The bird is a native of India and other parts of Eastern Asia, and it is remarkable not just that it found its way to this urban part of North East Lincolnshire in the first place, but also that it has stayed for so long.
It has also done well to avoid predation from, say, a cat or a passing sparrowhawk.
It continues to attract birders on a daily basis, and has probably now been watched by well over a thousand pairs of eyes.
Among its most recent first-time admirers was an enthusiast from Derby who had made the journey to Grimsby by train and bus, setting off at 7am.
"A difficult trip," he said. "But definitely well worth it. When else would I get the chance to see such a scarce bird in this part of England?"
In recent times, sightings of the species have become more regular, usually with at least one per year.
But rewind to 1960 when P.A.D. Hollom's Popular Handbook of Rarer British Birds was published.
In his note on its status and distribution, he noted that there had been just three British records - one at Lewes in Sussex in December, 1868, another near Perth in February, 1879, and the third on Fair Isle between December 8, 1957 and January 22, 1958.
In recent times, sightings of the species have become more regular, usually with at least one per year.
But rewind to 1960 when P.A.D. Hollom's Popular Handbook of Rarer British Birds was published.
In his note on its status and distribution, he noted that there had been just three British records - one at Lewes in Sussex in December, 1868, another near Perth in February, 1879, and the third on Fair Isle between December 8, 1957 and January 22, 1958.
How long will the Grimsby bird stay? Does it have no inclination to migrate back east?
No one knows. This superb bird, which is in tip-top condition, is keeping us all guessing.
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