Rare bird's first Welsh sighting

Photographer Melvin Grey was among those to see the rare bird

Birdwatchers have been flocking to a Pembrokeshire nature reserve to see a species never recorded in Wales before.

A Pechora Pipit, which breeds in the Tundra of the far north of Asia, has caused a flurry of activity at Goodwick Moor near Fishguard.

Staff and volunteers at the Wildlife Trust-managed reserve estimate over 300 twitchers have travelled for a glimpse.

Trust officer Nathan Walton said it had not been put off by the crowds and was happily perching close to people.

"Special"

Mr Walton said the bird was known to migrate over large distances but normally in the winter it moved to countries in south east Asia such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

He said occasionally it was seen in parts of western Europe in September and October with the best place being Fair Isle, just south of the Shetland Islands.

But he said this was the first Pechora Pipit recorded in Wales.

"This is a fantastic little bird and to have such a rarity appear for the first time in Wales on a Wildlife Trust reserve is even more special," he added.

"The Pechora Pipit certainly gave people something to talk about and was not put off by all the cameras and binoculars pointing at it.

"Sometimes it was happy to perch within a couple of metres of the patient crowd."