A bird so rare it is only recorded in Britain once a year has been found dead – after it crashed into a window and broke its neck.
The White’s Thrush was found in a garden at Weymouth, Dorset where Lawrence Dagnall was painting.
The birds were named after Gilbert White, a Russian naturalist. They are native to forests located 3,000 miles from Moscow.
Mr Dagnall (62 years old birdwatcher) said that the chances of it surviving were always slim, but that this was a particularly underwhelming end for it.
The rare White’s Thrush bird was tragically found dead in a garden of Dorset. It is only one year old in the UK.
He sent a photo to Portland Bird Observatory.
He was informed by a White’s Thrush specialist that the bird was extremely rare.
Figure 1 shows it has been on record in Britain, on average, once per year since 1850.
Mr Dagnall said that he knew there was something different, and after showing the observatory the observatory, they confirmed that he had been involved with one of the most unusual bird sightings of recent history.
“I got on my bicycle and cycled back to my house. I scooped up the bird and put him in a plastic bag.
“When I arrived at the observatory, they couldn’t believe it.
“They told me that these birds only visit the UK once a year, and that it’s usually in the Shetland islands.
Portland Bird Observatory have retained the bird and hope to get it into museums, but for now it’s in a storage freezer.