Rare bird spotted in Pagham Harbour

Trevor Guy's 'mega' find, a rare aquatic warbler in Pagham Harbour

13:4313:48Friday 19 August 2016

Birdwatcher Trevor Guy has spotted a rare bird in Pagham Harbour.

Out hunting for a whinchat to photograph, Trevor was delighted to capture a rare aquatic warbler on camera.

He explained: “I was birdwatching around Pagham Harbour this week and trying to photograph a whinchat, when a bird suddenly appeared on the top of a bush just in front of me.

“Initially, I thought it was the whinchat I had been searching for. It remained for about 30 seconds - just long enough to get a few photographs.

“It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the images on computer that I realised this was no ordinary bird, this was a mega!

“This was a rare aquatic warbler, not only rare in Sussex but also a national rarity.”

Mr Guy says there were only three records of the aquatic warbler in Britain last year and his sighting is the first on record in Sussex since 2011.

“It is a rare breeding bird south of the Baltic and it winters in West Africa,” he added.

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